Followed
by Marvel Maiden Squalls
Summary: This is not related to the original HoN Series//Melinda has always hated Vampyres and everything about them, but now she finds herself among them, and Chosen by Nyx, along with four others to lead the Vampyres in a war that threatens their existence. OCs
1. CHAPTER ONE

_Author's Note:_

_Yes, this is a new story. I stared it awhile ago, and thought I'd give it a try, and don't worry, I wont neglect my other stories. :)_

_This is taking place in Toronto, Ontario. None of these places are real from what I'm aware of, because I've only been there once._

_Enjoy. :P_

CHAPTER _ONE_

Melinda

"Shut up!" I barked at Jake Cosen. He was totally pissing me off.

"Oooo, you gonna hit me?" he taunted, giving me his amused smirk. "Let's see if I'll actually feel it."

"Don't you tempt me!" I growled, clenching my fists at my side. I was not in the mood to be bothered by him.

"Here, I'll willingly let you." He turned his face so I had a clear shot of his cheek. I wound my fist back, and I was about to shoot it forward when someone grabbed hold of it, spinning me around.

"You don't have to stoop down to his level Melinda," Chrystal Lee told me, but glared over my head at Jake. "Come on." Not letting go of my hand she dragged me from the cafeteria.

"Let me know if you wanna go for Round 2!" Jake called after us.

"I could have served that guy lunch if you had let me," I complained, once we were clear.

"Not in your condition you're not," she sighed. "Goodness Melinda. You need to take it easy and calm down. You're not yourself." _Easy for you to say_, I thought defiantly to myself, folding my arms. How could I take it easy? I lost my best friend to those....monsters, AND I've got the biggest headache in the history of recorded headaches. Not to mention my nose was been running like a faucet. Then stupid Jake has to go and pull his usual crap and pick on me about having a friend who was an even more freak then he was before. Goodness, did he have to act so immature? And to make it worse, no one minded. They just laughed their performed robotic laughs and went along with him. Yeah, I'll have to say the last month has been extremely crappy, so I deserve to be a little pissed every once in a while.

I just wish the year didn't have to start the way it did. I missed talking about stupid stuff with my phone pal. I missed loitering at the mall and getting in trouble by mall cops with my partner in crime. I missed staying up all night playing Halo with my Co-Master Chief. Most of all, I missed my Gonzo. Curse September 4th. Curse that day with the most dangerous hex you could find. I should have known that things would get worse, even though I tried my best to find the silver-lining.

* * *

That morning I woke up to find the sky dark, and the ground wet. The trees were shaking in a strong breeze, refusing to be overpowered, and my dog was whining under my bed. No matter how small, Cherry hated it when it rained. I rolled my eyes and went straight into the bathroom, to make an estimate on how long I'd be working. I ran my fingers through my black hair, to find it wasn't that difficult. Straightening it would be out of the question, since my hair would become a giant frizz ball by the time I got to school, so I just pulled it back in a sloppy ponytail. Next I walked back to my room, and picked up my cell phone, using speed dial 1.

Yeah, that's right, my BFF is #1. I call him way more then I call any family members. And yes, my best friend is a boy. We've been best friends since we were in grade 2. I was drawing in my Muppet coloring book, when he came over and asked if he could color with me. I replied with a 'no', because I was selfish, and wanted to keep it for myself. The next day I forgot my book at home, but he had one of his own. I felt bad, but I went over and asked if I could color with him. He smiled and said 'yes'. BAM! Instant friends. That's also how he got his nickname Gonzo. So much better than George.

"Hetho?" Came a stuffy answer.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked, completely surprised at how bad he sounded.

"I'm sick," he replied, barely sniffing. "I'm so congested. I can't even bweathe through my nose."

"Come on!" I whined. "You can't expect me to start school without you!"

"You can manage one day," he groaned.

"Not the_ first_ day," I complained, dropping on my bed. "Come on, you have to come."

"I don think going out in this weather will help impwove my sickness," he mumbled, taking a breath to cough. "Ow, headache."

"Gonzo," I pouted, rolling over onto my stomach. "The day will get better. Trust me. We'll be able to stuff our faces with the cafeteria mystery meat drowned in horseradish, shine the reflection of the sun on Mr. Glisterin's head when he's turned around, vandalize a locker! Come on!"

"I don know Lin." He called me Lin, since he thought Mel was too common of a nickname.

"Please!" I begged. "I'll do all the driving!"

"You're gonna walk here and drive my car?" he asked, sounding unconvinced.

"Hell yeah," I chirped. "A little rain never hurt anybody. Besides, I'd do anything to drive your Cadillac"

"Well..."

"PLEASE!"

"Fine," he sighed, giving in. I heard him sneeze, sniff, and cough afterward. "If I'm not better by lunch I'm leaving."

"Fine," I agreed. "I'll drive you home, and I'll skip the rest of the afternoon, lounging at your house. Where one of us goes, the other follows. See ya in a little bit."

"Okay," he sniffed, hanging up.

A little rain my butt. It was coming down even harder by the time I left. I wish I had a car. My parents refused to buy me one, and I couldn't buy one myself since I was still unemployed. I had my G1 though, thanks to Gonzo helping me pay for it. I know I wasn't suppose to be driving without a licensed driver in the car, but who cares? I've been driving since I was 13. My uncle let me drive his truck around an abandoned parking lot. I haven't gotten caught yet, I just hope my luck didn't run out today.

When I got to Gonzo's my pants were soaked. At least the umbrella helped to keep my upper half dry. I knocked on the door, and waited patiently. It was not even ten second when Gonzo opened the door.

"Holy...!" I couldn't even finish my sentence. He looked like complete, and utter crap.

"Told yeah," he groaned holding out his car keys. His eyes had huge bags under them, his face looked paler then usual, his chocolate brown hair was was neglected and sticking out in every direction, and he looked really thin, even though he was quite built.

"You look worse than on the phone," I commented, taking his keys. I was beginning to feel guilty about making him go to school.

"You can see me through the phone?" he barely cocked his eyebrow me.

"Yes, because I've got that kind of ability," I smiled, hoping it would make him feel better.

"Can you cure stuffy noses?" he chuckled, leading me to his car.

"Sorry," I sighed sympathetically. "Only runny ones."

"Very funny."

I absolutely loved his car! It was a beautiful '74 Eldorado, in a shiny shade of blue. It was also a convertible, but sadly we were forced to leave the top up. I started up the car, and swooned at the sound of the engine. I didn't know a lot about cars, but I knew I loved this one. The radio started up, with Rascal Flatts harmonizing through. Another thing we had in common; we loved country music. Non-Vampyre country music that is. Rascal Flatts was one of those few famous bands who happened to not be Vampyres.

"You ready?" I grinned, putting the car into reverse.

"Nope," he smiled weakly back. "But I guess I can't have T. P. Malcolm go through a day without me there to say something stupid."

"You don't talk stupid," I protested, backing out of the driveway as carefully as I could.

"If you say so," he sighed, closing his eyes. He really did look like crap.

When we got to school, little did we know we'd have a surprise waiting for us. Trust me, it wasn't a good one. I climbed out of the car first with my umbrella, and met him on his side, so he could walk under it with me. We only walked a few paces when I saw him. He stood leaning against an SUV, only about 10 feet in front of us. His form looked at home in the darkness, and his Mark shone a brilliant blue against his pale skin. I froze, and stared at him. _Why is that _thing_ here?_, I thought.

"What is it Lin?" He followed my gaze, and that's when he spoke those sacred words, causing both of us to jump at the silky authority in his voice.

"George Jameson! Night has chosen thee; thy death shall be thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!" One of his hands left his pocket, and he pointed a long slim finger at Gonzo. I'll admit I felt relieved it wasn't me being Marked, but my panic returned when Gonzo crumpled to the ground, crying out in pain, and landing in a fetal position.

"Gonzo!" I dropped down beside him, throwing away the umbrella, and my hair became instantly soaked. I didn't really notice though, since I was trying to comfort Gonzo while he had his head buried under his arms. A minute went by and neither of us said anything. He didn't move, and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you okay?" I asked barely above a whisper.

"You hate me," was his muffled reply.

"Huh?" I asked, totally confused.

"You hate me," he repeated, this time turning his head to look up at me. His eyes were red, as if he was crying, but the most noticeable thing was the outline of a crescent moon on his forehead.

"You hate them," he said, staring up at me with pure sadness. "You hate Vampyres. And now I'm one of them. So you must hate me."

"No," I said shaking my head. "I'd never hate you." It was true I hated Vampyres. I didn't like them at all. They were always beating humans out at something. Most of the celebrities and famous figures were Vampyres. I'd never imagined Gonzo being Marked. Even so, he was still the little kid who I wouldn't share my coloring book with. He was still my Gonzo.

"I'd never hate you," I repeated. "You're still my best friend. No stupid Mark will change that." I actually wasn't quite sure of my own words. Would I really let my hatred get in the middle of the best friendship I've ever had? Especially when he didn't do it by choice. I hoped I wouldn't.

"Are you sure?" he asked sitting up. We were so drenched that the rain didn't bother us anymore, especially after what just happened.

"Yes," I smiled sincerely. "We're still best friends, and will continue to be long after we're both dead."

"You'll be long dead by the time I die now," he replied, trying to make it sound a little funny.

"Then we better do a lot of crazy stuff to last a few life times," I nodded. "Come on, we'd better call your parents. You'll have to go to that school right away huh?"

"Yeah," he sighed "Let's get out of the rain." I helped him to his feet, and we made our way across the rest of the parking lot.

* * *

So here I was, best friendless, suffering from a bad cold, and pissed off.

"You should go home," Chrystal suggested. "I could give you a ride home."

"Yeah sure," I shrugged. "Let's go then." The two of us walked out of the school, not bothering to go to the office first. We were crossing the parking lot to her Volkswagen, when a powerful voice enveloped the air around me, sending chilling thrill up my spine at the sound of my name.

"Melinda Bree! Night has chosen thee; thy death shall be thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!" I turned toward the voice, utter horror on my face. It was him. The same one. I was sure of it. And he was leaning against the same SUV. The day of Gonzo's Marking came back to me. The way he fell and shouted in pain made me scared. Was it really going to hurt that bad? Oh yes. I barely took it all in when I sent crumpling to the ground. Pain shot through my forehead, and was sent through my limbs. I was in so much shock I couldn't even scream. My whole world turned black.

"Melinda! Oh, Melinda!" Chrystal was down by my side, as I struggled to see. It was so hard to do, since the sun was now ten times as brighter then I remembered.

"Dammit," I cursed, slowly sitting up. "Not me. Why me?"

"Are you okay?" Chrystal asked, her eyes weren't scared, just flat out worried.

"No," I snapped. "I just became a shitty leech."

"We should get you home," she panicked. "You have to go to that school; the one for vampyres. I'll drive you home. Come one." Before I could even protest, Chrystal had me on my feet, and practically dragging me to her car.

* * *

"You have to give me daily updates," I said, shoving Gonzo's CD's around the edges of his bulging suit case. "So email me every day before you go to bed."

"I know," he replied nasally, laying on his bed, a towel over his eyes.

"And you can't forget about me," I warned, even trying to shove some of his movies in it.

"I know."

"Also-"

"Lin, it's okay," he sighed exhaustedly, sitting up, and wincing at the light. "I'll just be outside the city. I'm not going over the ocean."

"We could still fall out of touch," I snapped, slapping his case shut, the zipper no where close to meeting.

"We'll be fine," he replied, opening the drawer to his night table. "And here's why we wont fall out of touch." He pulled out a large picture frame designed to hold several pictures. All of them were of us, and a bunch of the fun times we had.

"This'll be a constant reminder that you exist," Gonzo smiled. "No matter how hard I try, I wont forget about you. Even though sometimes I wish I could."

"Don't make me make that headache of yours worse," I threatened, plopping myself on his suitcase. "I think we need more weight. Where's that fat dog of yours?"

"She's not fat," he said, looking hurt. "You're so mean."

"No, I just tell keep it real," I grinned innocently. "Hey Jen! Come here girl!" I shouted out the door, hoping the St. Bernard was nearby and heard me. My calls were answered by the thudding of giant paws up the stairs, and the giant body that barreled into the room.

"Come here girl," I giggled, patting on the empty space next to me on his suitcase. Jen obediently jumped up and laid her full body weight on it, giving me a sloppy kiss in the process.

"Alright, zip us up," I ordered Gonzo.

"I thought you were packing for me," he complained, putting the towel over his face again. "I'm sick.

"Quit being a sissy and come zip this thing shut," I snapped playfully, ready to kick him in he butt. "Don't be lazy." He groaned again before finally getting up. He fumbled with the zipper, and with great effort, he finally got it all the way around the suit case.

"Your father's ready to go," his mother called from downstairs.

"Coming!" He shouted back, causing himself to go off into a coughing fit.

"They're going to brainwash you," I warned giving him a firm look.

"No they aren't," he sighed, blowing his nose.

"Yes they will, and when they do, you'll just keep saying that you're fine, when in actuality you're not."

"It's not a movie," he chuckled lightly, nudging me and Jen off of his bag. "You going back to school?"

"Pfft, how can I show up there without my wingman?" I scoffed.

"You still need your education," Gonzo reminded, picking up the suitcase.

"When have I ever cared about that?" I shrugged.

"Lin," he sighed, giving me the 'don't be stupid' glare. "Promise me something."

"And that would be?" I asked, my eyes wide with innocence.

"Stay in school, and don't do anything stupid," he said, patting my head.

"EW!" I screamed slapping his hand away. "You just blew your nose and didn't wash your hands! You want me to get sick or something? Then I _will_ have to skip school."

"You'll be fine," he laughed, grabbing me in a big bear hug. I laughed, and hug back, but then his grip loosened.

"This really is goodbye," he thought looking depressed.

"Just because your turning into a Vamp doesn't mean its goodbye," I said, lifting an eyebrow. "You get to come home for Christmas right? And isn't there that monthly visit thing? I'll just tag along with your 'rents. Maybe we can even arrange to see a Midnight movie or something."

"Yeah, sounds good," he nodded, sniffing. "Uh, I gotta go before I blow my head off."

"Alright, out the door you sick bug," I laughed shoving him out the into the hallway with Jen behind us.


	2. CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER_ TWO_

Melinda

"Okay, you've got all your clothes packed? How about deodorant? Shampoo? You should also pack-"

"Mom!" I shouted cutting her off. She froze in the bathroom, her hand holding my bottle of shampoo. I was leaning against the door frame with an irritated look on my face.

"You can calm down," I sighed, covering my nose as I sneezed. "It's like a boarding school, except for freaks."

"Don't call them that," she snapped, waving her shampoo bottle at me. "You're aunt was Marked, and so was your cousin Luke."

"Yeah, and look where it got them," I sighed, rolling my eyes, making my head throb. "Luke died, and Aunt Natalie is off somewhere in Italy."

"I'd love to go to Italy," my mom mumbled lightly, packing away my things. "Maybe you'll become famous!" Her face beamed with an ecstatic glow.

"Don't all Vampyres do?" I groaned, causing myself to cough. I felt even worst than I had earlier.

"Maybe a singer," she squealed, getting all giddy. "Or maybe an actress, or what about an author?"

"Mom, I can't do any of those things," I interrupted her again, going to my room. I walked straight to my dresser, and picked up the picture frames from my dresser. One was of a sunset Gonzo managed to capture from my roof, another was of our dogs, and the last was of me and him obviously. It was a random picture taken by one of our mutual friends, Delilah. She had gotten a brand new camera and asked us to pose for her. I put my hands on my waist, and stuck out my hip, acting like I was all that, and Gonzo folded his arms, and stood so his back was to me, giving the camera serious look. I hurried to the bathroom and dropped the photos inside my bag before my mom closed it.

"I think that's all you need," she huffed, taking my bag downstairs. I lingered in the bathroom, glaring at the Mark on my forehead. It was just a blue outline, but it was enough to make me sick. Literally. I sneezed, sending a giant snot rocket across the room, and growled angrily, blowing my nose with toilet paper. There was only one good thing coming out of this, and that was that I'd be able to see my Gonzo again. Leaving the sticky glob of snot on the floor, I dragged my feet out into the hallway, and down the stairs. My major headache still hadn't gone away, in fact it was worse.

"You ready to go?" my dad asked, standing by the front door, my bag over his shoulder.

"Oh yeah," I grumbled, low on the enthusiasm.

"Have a safe trip," my mom sniffed, hugging me.

"Uh, mom, it's just outside of town," I sighed. "I'm not that far away."

"But I won't see you everyday," she said, and I could see tears building up in her eyes. That's a big problem with my parents. They were always heavy on the water works. Yup, even my dad.

"I'll be fine, and I'll call to give you weekly updates," I said, stepping out of her embrace.

"Only once?" she gasped, looking even sadder.

"Fine, I'll call Saturdays and Wednesdays before I got to bed," I sighed, rolling my eyes, which made my head hurt even more. "I gotta go now before I die."

"Alright, alright," she sniffed, leading me toward the door. I put my sunglasses on, but they were no help at all. I heard a whimper from the kitchen, and looked over my shoulder. My little bloodhound Cherry sat in the doorway. She had sensed the change in me, and had avoided me the whole time I was getting ready to leave.

"Oh, now you wanna be nice?" I asked, turning around. She barked, and cautiously came over, sniffing my outstretched hand.

"It's still me you goofball," I giggled, ruffling her ears. "Behave okay? And make sure mom and dad don't do anything to my room." She bark happily in response.

"Bye mom," I forced a smile on my face.

"Goodbye dear," she sighed, hugging me again. "Be safe." I only made it to the door when a heartbreaking howl came from behind me.

"Oh, Cherry," I sighed as she grabbed onto my jacket with her teeth. "I'm sorry girl, but I gotta go." She only whimpered in response, trying to stop me from leaving.

"Cherry," my mom said warningly, grabbing onto her collar. "Let her go now."

"I wonder if you're allowed to bring a pet," My dad said from outside.

"No, we're not," I sighed. "Gonzo said they're big on cats." At the mention of her mortal enemies, Cherry growled, her teeth still hooked on my jacket.

"Yeah, I know how you feel," I laughed, petting her again, only to cause myself to cough again. "I'm gonna be going into enemy territory myself. It would be nice to bring you though. Maybe I should." Cherry barked in agreement, letting my jacket go. My mom used this chance to pull her away to give me some room.

"Well, go on now," she advised. "Before she grabs on again."

"But I wanna bring her," I grinned. "I actually wanna bring her."

"But you aren't allowed," My dad replied, confused.

"Well, let this be my first rebellious act," I grinned brightly. "I'll go get your stuff girl." Cherry barked excitedly, and followed me upstairs, her tail raised high.

"Oh dear," my mother sighed. I grabbed all of her things that were in arm's length as soon as I entered my room, and threw them all into her bed. Cherry grabbed her purple leash from under my bed, and held it in her mouth, her tail thumping against the floor.

"Let's go girl," I laughed, causing myself to cough again, nearly dropping the things in my arms. "Man, will this stupid sickness go away?" Cherry raced ahead of me, beating me down the stairs, where my mom was waiting with Cherry's bowls and food.

"Looks like, I won't be able to change your mind now will I?" she smiled with amusement.

"Nope," I grinned, leading the way out to my dad's van, where he was waiting for us. We put Cherry's things in the trunk, and Cherry jumped up in the middle row.

"I think I'll sit back here with her," I told my dad before he could open the passenger's door for me.

"Fair enough," he nodded in agreement.

"Bye mom," I sighed, giving her a quick hug. "Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone okay?"

"Don't worry about me," she laughed. "You get going. You look even more pale."

"Don't need to tell me twice," I replied, climbing inside next to Cherry. The last thing I could see was my mothers figure growing smaller and smaller as we drove away.

* * *

"We're here," my dad smiled, shaking my shoulder lightly. I stretched lazily, and yawned as loudly as I could.

"Hey," I gasped, "my headache's getting better!" My throat also felt less scratchy, so I didn't feel the need to cough, and my nose was clearing of snot.

"It's because we're here," her dad said again, stepping out of the van. I sat up straight and looked around, Cherry's head resting on my lap. We were inside a high brick wall, with an open gate just behind us. The campus was separated into quite a few buildings, two I was guessing were dorms. Cherry lifted her head and sniff the air, a growl growing in her throat.

"Better put this on you," I said, clipping on her leash. Cherry pushed her way to the door, and stuck her nose to it, as if she was trying to smell through the glass.

"Be patient," I sighed, sliding the door open. She jumped out immediately, pulling me out with her. Cherry broke out in a crazy barking frenzy, aiming at the tree near the wall.

"Hey," I snapped, shortening the leash, and kneeling down to face my dog. "What did I say? Yes, we're surrounded by the enemy, but we gotta try and fit in okay. Be glad I didn't leave you at home." Cherry settled down, but she continued to growl deep in her throat with disapproval.

"Merry Meet Melinda Bree," a lovely voice floated toward me when I stood up again. I just noticed the woman standing in front of us. She had long blonde hair that looked like golden sunshine, and flowed from her head to her waist. She wore a long black dress that was tight around her chest, and loosed as it went down, flowing around her legs. Over her heart was an emblem of a woman caressing a crescent moon. I narrowed my eyes at her beauty. The feature that stuck out the most was her Mark. It was blue and shaded in, with tatoos that resembled clouds.

"Thanks," I managed to say without sounding rude.

"Welcome to the House of Night," she smiled. "I'm Evangeline Cross, the High Priestess of this school."

"Nice," Was all I said, taking my bag from my dad when he brought it to me.

"She'll be well cared for her," she said reassuringly to my dad.

"Oh I know she will," he smiled goofily. I rolled my eyes. She must have a bewitching effect on all men.

"Go grab Cherry's stuff dad." I ordered, pushing him toward the van.

"You're dog is accompanying you?" she asked, looking a bit uncertain.

"Oh yes," I grinned, becoming perky. "I could never leave my baby behind. Right Cherry?" She brushed her tail against me in response, but kept her eyes glued to the trees surrounding the parking lot.

"Our school is filled with cats," Evangeline smiled politely. "I'm not sure they'll like having a dog around too much."

"They don't bother her, she wont bother them," I shrugged.

"She is a well behaved dog," My dad agreed, carrying Cherry's things.

"Is she here yet?" A anxious voice asked not far from where we stood. I squinted my eyes behind my sunglasses, and could make out a figure coming through the trees. It was a girl, about half a foot shorter than me. I guessed she was of Asian decent, but I couldn't really tell because she had on dark sunglasses as well. She was dainty, and had black hair that was up in two short ponytails. She was wearing a black outfit too, but on the left side of her chest, she had a silvery swirl on it. Her forehead was Marked with a blue moon outline as well.

"Of course not Amethyst-Chan," Evangeline smiled, her eyes sparkling. It was the first time I realized that she didn't have on any glasses on. _She must be sun resistant or something_, I thought.

"Oh, wonderful," the girl grinned, walking over sheepishly. "I'm so glad you're finally here. I couldn't sleep. Been waiting up all night for you actually."

"This is Amethyst-Chan," Evangeline introduced. "She's your roommate."

"Snazzy," I replied, giving her a genuine smile. I couldn't help it, she looked kind of adorable.

"It's said as one word," the smaller girl explained. "Like the honorifics the Japanese use."

"Oh, cool," I nodded, not really feeling it. _I'll just call her Amethyst_, I thought.

"You have a dog!" Amethyst gushed, finally realizing Cherry was there. Feeling the attention, my proud dog, turned to her with a friendly bark. "Can I pet her?"

"Of course," I nodded, feeling myself start to like her even more. _She's still human_, I thought to myself. Well, she still has human qualities. She must be recently Marked. Amethyst came over hesitantly, giving Cherry a nice ear scratch.

"I can't believe you're allowed to have a dog here," She grinned, giving Cherry more attention.

"She's not," Evangeline spoke up. "I'm sorry Melinda, but we can't have a dog-" Cherry gave a desperate whimper, pulling from Amethyst, and gazing up sadly at the High Priestess.

"I'm sorry..." She began again, but Cherry only gave another pitiful whine, and sat on her butt, lifting her front paws to beg.

"You can't say no to a face like that," Amethyst frowned, feeling sorry for the dog. _Way to go Cherry_, I thought proudly. _I'm so glad I taught her how to beg like a pro._

"Well..." Evangeline sighed, and I saw her serious face falter. "If she stays in your room, and you have a leash on her whenever she's outside, I guess we could allow it."

"Yay!" Me and Amethyst shouted in unison, and Cherry barked her thanks, lifting out a paw trying to shake to the deal.

"I've always wanted a dog," Amethyst giggled. "I mean, she's still yours, but she's in my room, so its like she's sort of mine too...right?"

"Yeah sure," I nodded, patting her on the shoulder. _Yup, defiantly newly Marked._

"You are well behaved," Evangeline laughed, shaking Cherry's paw. "And well trained."

"Taught her everything she knows," I replied, looking proud. "Sorry, but can we go inside now, the lights really hurting now."

"Oh, yes of course," Evangeline nodded. "Would you like a tour?"

"Nah," I shrugged. "Amethyst can just show me where the office and Cafeteria are later. Right now I wanna catch some Z's." Being in the sun was making me tired.

"What about you Mr. Bree?" Evangeline asked, turning her attention to my dad, who had remained silent for a long time.

"Oh, um I don't think that's necessary," he replied shaking his head, even though he had a look of interest on his face.

"That's right, get going," I ordered, taking Cherry's stuff and kicking his leg. _Get back to your wife_, I thought.

"Thank you for bringing Melinda here right away," Evangeline nodded. "If she were to have stayed away too long, she would have gotten worse."

"I'll take that," Amethyst smiled, taking Cherry's stuff from my hands. "You can hold onto your dog and carry your suit case."

"Good plan," I nodded. "Bye Dad."

"Good bye sweetie," he smiled, hugging me tightly. "Take care, and remember to call like your mom wanted."

"Yessir," I nodded, giving him a salute.

"Bye Mr. Bree," Amethyst grinned.

"Goodbye," he waved, climbing back into the van. I grabbed my bag and began to follow Amethyst when Evangeline's voice stopped me.

"Each student has a mentor here," she said. "You'll be mentored by our music teacher, Professor Volante."

"Oh, cool," I replied, not turning around so she could see my face. _Music?_ I grimaced. The only instrument I knew was the drums. At one point in our youth, Gonzo and I decided to make a band with a couple other guys. This one guy wanted to play drums, but I beat him out in a drum off, so he was stuck on bass guitar.

"You really are in a hurry aren't you?" Evangeline laughed, amusement ringing in that perky sound.

"Yes," I nodded. "Now if you'll excuse me, Evangeline...er, Miss Cross...High Priestess Lady."

"Evangeline is just fine," she smiled. "You may go then. I'll see you when you wake."

"Goodbye Evangeline," Amethyst smiled, giving her a crooked bow with her fist over her heart, almost dropping Cherry's things.

"Good night Amethyst-Chan," the High Priestess nodded, watching us leave.

"What was with that?" I asked, hoping she understood what I asked.

"That's how we show respect to those of higher status," she explained.

"Ah, I see," I nodded, wrapping Cherry's leash around my hand several times to make sure she couldn't run away. "So how long have you been here?"

"Only a couple months," she shrugged. I was right, I thought proudly.

"You don't have to give me a big explanation on how things run yet," I said, not able to repress a big yawn. "I won't be able to keep it all in my head right now. I need sleep."

"Of course," she nodded. "I hate being outside, but I couldn't wait to meet you."

"Don't I feel special," I sighed, practically falling asleep as we walked. Cherry growled, and turned her head to every tree we passed. _Darn cats_, I thought. Amethyst lead us to a tall building, that looked the same height as another on the other side of the campus. _The boys dorm is that far away huh?_, I thought, following her inside. We walked through a room with several big screen TV's and couches and chair surrounding each one. To my left was a kitchen with a few fridges and a lot of cupboards and a few tables and chairs.

"That's where we eat breakfast," Amethyst explained, pointing to the kitchen. "And this is where we can chill with the guys or in their dorm, until its curfew." Cherry pulled at the leash to smell a couch as we past.

"Do you hang out in the guys dorm a lot?" I asked trying to stiffly a yawn as we headed up the stairs.

"Not really," She shrugged. "I mostly stay here or in the library, or out by the stables. Professor Simanthel let's me practice out in the open field."

"Who's that?" I asked, following her up another flight of stairs. _My legs are going to break_, I thought, taking large dramatic steps.

"That's the Equestrian teacher," Amethyst explained. "It's a class about horses. I'm in the class for 6th hour, so she lets me stay afterwards to spend time with my horse, or to practice Ju Jitsu."

"Whoa, wait, 6th hour?" I asked exasperatedly, my head starting to spin.

"Yeah, we have a school system like they do in the States," she giggled nervously. "We get 6 classes a day for the whole year."

"Nice," I groaned, following her down the hall. Cherry was sniffing at everything we passed, and I had to keep tugging at her for to continued on. Some of her sniffing was greeted by a hiss on the other side of the doors we passed. At last, Amethyst opened a door, labeled 208, and walked inside. One side of the room was kind of bland. It had simple violet sheets, with a poster of cherry blossom trees, and a few candles with designs on them sitting on the desk, and that was it.

"You don't collect a lot of stuff huh?" I asked, looking at my side.

"Don't really have money to collect stuff with," she shrugged putting Cherry's stuff down at the foot of my bed. My side looked like...my room.

"Hey...how'd they..." I blinked in amazement.

"They always do that," Amethyst shrugged. "They get our stuff here before us. It's weird actually." I shook my head at the spooky thought of those _things_ walking around in my room.

"Alright, time for some sleep," I sighed, letting Cherry go once the door was shut. Without getting changed, I dropped myself on the familiar fluffy blue comforter. My headache was loads better now.

"I'll see you in the morning then," Amethyst chimed, taking off her sunglasses. _Yup_, I thought, when I saw her face. _She is Asian. I wonder if she's Chinese or Japanese. Probably Chinese. That's cool actually. _I let myself drift off to sleep, with Cherry's form pressed against my feet.


	3. CHAPTER THREE

Disclaimer: Again, don't own HoN.

_Also, I don't own the character, Kitty Panthera, cause she was made by my BFF of FF, TazzyBizzy. ^.^_

_The chapters have been kind of short, but they shall get longer as the story goes on. And yes, they will eventually switch views._

_Enjoy!_

_And R&R please._

CHAPTER _THREE_

Melinda

"Melinda!"

"Go away," I groaned, rolling over.

"Melinda, your alarm clock went off. Get up!" I rolled over and met the black eyes of my roommate.

"What?" I grumbled, too lazy to move.

"You have to get ready," Amethyst urged. "We're going to be late for class. It's 7:00."

"And when does class start?" I groaned, rubbing my hand over my face.

"8:00."

"OH MY GOD!" I screamed, burying my face in my pillow.

"I told you," Amethyst shouted, stamping her foot. "Now come on, let's-"

"It's too early!" I squealed in agony, my voice muffled by the pillow.

"There's only an hour until school starts," she protested, sounding as if she thought I was crazy.

"Wake me up in half an hour," I pleaded, not wanting to move.

"But I gotta give you your time table," she huffed, folding her arms. "Not to mention I have to loan you a shirt until you get your own. And I've got to show you to your classrooms, and help-"

"Fine, fine," I groaned, waving my hand for her to be silent. "Hand me the paper." I heard some shuffling across the carpet, and then a piece of paper was dropped into my hand. I sniffed, and stretched, reluctantly sitting up.

"I hate school," I grumbled scratching my head as Cherry joined me on the bed, nuzzling me lovingly. "I'll feed ya in a sec." I rubbed at my eyes some more hoping to clear them out, and blinked at the piece of paper. It had delicate writing and it took me a moment to register what it said.

_1st hour- English. Rm. 214. Prof. Rhinestone_

_2nd hour- French. Rm. 116. Prof. Jules_

_3rd hour- Fencing. Gymnasium. Prof. Perry_

_4th hour- Drama. Performing Arts Center. Prof. Juliana_

_or_

_Art Rm. 305 Prof. Panda_

_or_

_Music Rm. 312 Prof. Volante_

_Lunch_

_5th hour- Vampyre Sociology RM. 215 Prof. Cross_

_6th hour- Drama. Performing Arts Center. Prof. Juliana_

_or_

_Art Rm. 405 Prof. Panda_

_or_

_Music Rm. 312 Prof. Volante_

"Please take Music for 4th hour," Amethyst pleaded. "Then we can have three classes together."

"And what classes would those be," I asked, not feeling as enthused as she was.

"French, Fencing and Music if you take it 4th," she said, smiling brightly. "I have Equestrian Studies during 6th. Please choose 4th?" I groaned, and folded up the paper.

"Since she's my mentor I guess I'll have to take music in either period," I shrugged.

"She?" Amethyst snorted in laughter. "Professor Volante is a man." _WHAT? _I shouted internally, but my surprise never reached my face. I was still too tired.

"So the person I'm suppose to confide in about personal matters when I can't turn to anyone else is a man?" I sighed, throwing myself back so I was laying again. "What if I'm having woman problems? Like say I ran out of pads, and I can't find you? I most certainly am not going to ask him for those.

"I have extras in my top desk drawer," Amethyst laughed hysterically._ Glad I could find someone who liked my humor so fas_t, I thought. _Gonzo would probably have peed his pants by now._

"Gonzo!" I gasped, bolting upright, causing Cherry to growl as I disturbed her sleep.

"Who's that?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Someone I've gotta find," I said, jumping off the bed. "Quick give me a sweater or something."

"It'll have to be this one," Amethyst said, going over to her closet. "The uniform has to be black and with a symbol of which Former you are."

"What's a Former?" I asked, completely confused.

"It's the years we are," she explained pulling out a black sweater with a silver swirl. "The first years are 3rd Formers, which is what we are. We're like Freshman Our symbol is the silver labyrinth of Nyx." _Great, I gotta go through that year AGAIN?_, I shouted internally to myself.

"Who's Nyx?" I asked, snatching the sweater.

"She's our Goddess," she smiled proudly. "She's the one who created Vampyres. She even gifts us with abilities."

"So I have her to thank for doing this to me then?" I asked before slamming the bathroom door shut. _I have her to thank for turning me into a monster_, I thought. _And for turning Gonzo too._

"Yes," she said through the door, obviously not catching my tone. I quickly changed my shirt, and put on some black pants when I came back out, neglected my hair, poured Cherry some food, and I was Amethyst her out the door in less than 3 minutes. When we got downstairs to the common room, it was filled with girls. All of them with a blue outline of a crescent moon on their foreheads, and all of them wore black clothing with symbols on their shirts. Unfortunately, everyone turned to look at me when we came down. _Great, pick on the fresh meat time_, I thought.

"Your roommate finally came Amethyst-Chan," one girl grinned. She had long blonde hair, and a bright perky smile. _Stuck up_, I said silently. I can sense a self-centered bitch a mile away. She was only giving off small vibes, but I could tell from her tone that she was pretending.

"Yeah, this is Melinda Bree," she nodded. "Melinda that's Abigale Thorn."

"Hi," I replied, nodding at her. I wasn't in the mood for breakfast, so I tugged at Amethyst's arm to whisper that into her ear.

"But I'm hungry," she said, blinking at me.

"Missing one meal isn't going to kill you," I said, looking at the breakfast foods they were all eating. "Besides, all this stuff is way too healthy."

"It's suppose to be," the girl beside Abigale spoke up. "They want to keep us healthy so that we have a better chance of making it through the change."_ Pretending to act stuck up_, I concluded, looking over the girl. She was only trying to act like Abigale, probably to impress her, and prove she's worth being her friend.

"Right, cause any of us could drop dead at any moment," I nodded in sarcastic understanding. This caused the air around us to go awkward.

"We'll be going now," Amethyst grinned nervously, leading me outside.

"Nice to meet you," I waved, with a half smile. Outside it was night(obviously), and the school was lit up by lanterns and torches, casting an enchanting glow throughout the grounds. The buildings surrounded a large patch of grass that had paths crossing through it, with a fountain in the middle, and a statue of a woman. Benches lined the outside of the grassy square, as well as large trees, and a huge brick wall surrounding the entire grounds. Kids were scattered in groups, walking to class, or lounging randomly on the grass, or sitting on the benches.

"The boys dorm is over there," she said, motioning toward a building partially hid by one of a smaller height, "and that's the main building," motioning toward the building in front. "Thats where the common classes are taught; English, French, Spanish, the Sciences and Vampire Sociology."

"How come there's no science on my list?" I asked, pointing to the already crumpled piece of paper.

"They choose your classes for you," Amethyst explained. "They choose what they know will best serve you."

"So they know me better than I do huh?" I huffed, not too pleased.

"Well, they do since you don't know what the Change will bring you," she shrugged. "Across that way is the Arts building, where they teach Drama, Music and Art. The stables is behind that building. That's where they teach Equestrian, and there's also a field next to it, where they teach Archery."

"Archery classes?" I gasped, suddenly interested.

"Yeah, but its only offered to higher Formers," she nodded.

"Ah," I nodded in disappointment, but I kept my eyes peeled, searching the crowds for my best friend. _I should have emailed him, telling him I was coming_, I thought, as Amethyst continued to name off the buildings.

"That's the cafeteria," she smiled pointing, to a domed shaped building. "That's Nyx temple."

"Temple?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow at the pointy-roofed, short building. "Like where we gotta bow and stuff? I'm not all that religious."

"It's where we have ceremonies," she explained, finally starting to walk. "Twice a week, and for special occasions. It's just to show our appreciation to Nyx." _Wahoo_, I thought unenthusiastically.

"Over there is the Reck Hall, where we can play various games, like pool or video games," she continued, "over there is the gym-"

"And over there is a creepy cat girl," I finished, stopping to stare at the bizarre sight. A tiny girl with auburn hair that was in a crazy pixie cut(I thought she was a boy at first because of it), and the baggiest turtle-neck I had ever seen on, sitting crosslegged under a tree, farthest from the rest of the students. The bizzarest part was that she was surrounded by cats, and a lot of them. Sitting on her lap, sitting beside her, rubbing against her arm. She looked like the crazy old lady with cats, but 50 years younger.

"That's Kitty Pantera," Amethyst replied, scratching her head. "She arrived a week before I did. She's...kinda weird."

"Kina is being nice," I said, lifting an eyebrow. "She an outcast or something?"

"Basically," Amethyst nodded. "She doesn't talk to anyone. Only the cats." _Yay an outcast_, I thought delightedly. _Me and Gonzo were outcasts too. Maybe I should join an alliance with her_. Without speaking to Amethyst, I strolled over to where she sat.

"No Melinda don't!" Amethyst gasped, but didn't try to stop me. _She's harmless,_ I thought, shaking my head. _What can she do?_ I was only about ten feet away, when all the cats surrounding her turned on me and hissed.

"Holy shit!" I shouted, jumping back when one swiped out at me. Kitty didn't even notice. She just kept staring blankly at the black cat nestled calmly on her lap.

"Wanna call off your feline friends?" I asked nervously, taking another step back. "I just wanna talk." She continued to ignore my presence, and continued to pet her cat.

"Let's go," Amethyst said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Like I said, she doesn't talk to anyone." _So much for making an alliance_, I thought, following Amethyst, looking back to see the cats settle down, and gather around her again.

* * *

I caught a lot of attention that morning. I guess new kids are a big deal at this place. Amethyst was a nice hostess, but she got really nervous around a big group of people, and I took that as my cue to speak. I kept it short, sweet, and to the point, since I wasn't a big fan of crowds either, and didn't hesitate to make myself sound bored when I felt it. I hated being asked the same questions over and over again.

"Here's your first period," Amethyst announced, gesturing to the third classroom to our left after we entered the main building. The room was a fair size, with not as many desks as there had been at my old school. There was a teacher's desk at the front, covered with pots of plants and a disarray of folders. Plants lined the windows as well, ranging from flowers to weird vines. On the back wall was a shelf of cubbie holes, and on the other two remain walls were chalk boards, already filled with fancy white writing.

"Since this is your homeroom, you're stuff will be kept here," Amethyst explained, motioning toward the cubbie holes.

"Can't someone steal from someone else?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow. "I don't trust anyone here."

"Don't worry, the Vampyres will know if anyone steals," she shrugged. "If anyone dares, they'll get punished terribly."

"And how terrible are we talking?" I asked, putting on an amused smirk. "Being set on fire? Lose of sight?"

"No one knows really," she answered, raising her hands up. "No one's ever done anything to provoke the teachers." _'Cause they all cowards_, I thought, turning when I heard the sound of thick heels. A woman with an assortment of loud colored clothing walked in, not noticing us. Her tattoos resembled exaggerated paintbrush strokes, and two paint splatters above her eyes. She was mumbling to herself, and scratching her nappy blonde hair.

"That's Professor Rhinestone," Amethyst whispered, not wanting to interrupt the woman's thoughts. "She's the English teacher. The best English teacher here."

"Why's she the best?" I asked, adjusting my sweater. "From her decor I'm guessing she's very expressive though."

"You'll see," Amethyst grinned.

"Good morning girls," the woman chirped, finally acknowledging their presence. "Merry Meet Miss Bree. Welcome to the House of Night. "

"Merry...meet?" I replied, unsure of how I was to respond.

"That's how we greet each other," Amethyst whispered, giving me an assuring nod.

"I'm Professor Rowena Rhinestone," she introduced, fiddling with her plants. "I'll be your English teacher for the year as Amethyst-Chan has told you. There's an empty spot in the row nearest the door, third from the front. Your textbooks are waiting in your cubbie, fourth from the bottom, third from the right."

"I don't see her as the 'best' teacher yet," I whispered to Amythyst. "Thank you Professor Rhinestone."

"Just Rhinestone is fine," she smiled, moving to her desk, and continuing in low mumbles.

"Don't worry, you will," she grinned, giving me a playful wink. "I gotta get to my class now. I'll see you next period. It's right upstairs. Room 216"

"I know," I replied, rolling my eyes. "It says right here on my paper."

"Right, then good luck," she chimed, hurrying away just before the bell rang._ Did time really go that fast?_ I thought, walking over to my cubbie hole. There was a small stack of textbooks inside, and I pulled them out to examine them.

"There's no textbook for this class," Professor Rhinestone said, watering her flowers with a can I hadn't noticed before. "You just needed a notebook and pencil."

"Yeah....don't have one," I mumbled, sliding the books back. I turned around and nearly had my eye poked out by a pencil. A hand was holding a pencil and a few pieces of papers in front of my face.

"Um, thanks?" I replied, taking the supplies. The person who gave me them quickly moved away just as a large crowd of students piled in. _Weird..._, I thought, looking around, but no one seemed to look my way. Making weird faces at those who did look my way, I walked up to my seat, and prepared myself for the class.


	4. CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER _FOUR_

Melinda

I'm not sure if Rhinestone was the best teacher ever, but I have to say her methods were different from others I've had. Usually teachers would have us do some grammar exercises, or maybe learn a new word, and write it in sentences and such, but she didn't start off class at all actually. She was writing something silently while the students sat jsut there, motionless and completely quiet. I itched my head, and huffed, looking around anxiously, uncomfortable in the silence that could have been broken by a feather landing on a pillow. I had to hold my breath, to keep myself from being that feather. Everyone had their eyes closed. Their eyes were closed, and they looked like they were barely breathing.

_This isn't weird at all..._, I thought to myself, kneading my hands together on my desk, continuing to watch my fellow students. This was actually great. Staring at people without the them knowing it, or having to worry about them catching you. My classmates were of all different races, ranging in different sizes and appearances, but all held the same blue crescent outline. _At least this Goddess isn't racist_, I thought, narrowing my eyes. _But how can they just sit there and take it? Don't they know there's a higher chance of them dieing than actually becoming Vampyres? It's because they are selfish. They think now that they are becoming Vampyres things'll be better for them. Vampyres become famous, Vampyres become wealthy. They put humans to shame. Infested leeches. Or could it be they're just afraid of getting in trouble, so they sit there doing as they're told?_

My eyes continued to wonder over the robotic clones of the next generation of leeches when they bulged at the sight of the Cat Girl sitting next to the windows. Her eyes were the only ones, besides mine, that weren't closed, and she wasn't staring forward, but at the windows, looking at the scene that caused my eyes to nearly pop out. The window sill was lined with cats. A ton of cats.

I gulped a lump that flew up to my throat at the thought of being trampled by those vicious beasts. They may have been small, with the exception of a few, but together those things were lethal. _That's why I have my puppy_, I nodded to myself. My eyes lingered too long unfortunately, and the Cat Girl pierced my very soul with her neon green eyes. I swear to the Goddess they were neon green. It was like they were pulsing with energy, and I really do swear I thought my soul was being shattered by this petite thing's eyes, and I couldn't look away.

A light TING, however, broke the trance, and my head whipped toward the front of the room, where Rhinestone was holding two tiny symbols hanging from strings close to each other. The students around me let out a sigh, and finally came to life. I blinked, and dared to look back at Cat Girl, but she was staring down at her notebook, her eyes not seeming to glow.

"Sorry Melinda," Rhinestone said, standing up. "I guess I should have told you about our routine. We start off class with 10 minutes of silent meditation, then we have 10 minutes to write poetry, or sketch if you like; anything to get your creative juices flowing, and then we go into the day's lesson." I nodded in acknowledgment, holding back a snotty remark.

"Alright, begin with your poetry," she instructed, going back to writing. The students around me kept to themselves, falling into silence that almost matched that of the meditation session, with the sound of pencils on paper filling the room. _This will be fun_, I thought sarcastically, twiddling my pencil between my fingers.

* * *

I never was creative, so I decided to attempt, and fail, at sketching Cherry. I imagined her sitting in front of the dorm room door, growling at any cats that went by, and nosing the handle, hoping it was me when she heard footsteps. Between each section of the lesson, Rhinestone used those symbols to signal when to switch. It was like I was in a monk temple or something, and to make it worse, it seemed like I was the only one who thought these methods weird. No one else looked distraught, or annoyed by the orderly routine. No one even talked. It was scary how quiet this classroom was. Maybe just having different methods had really made her the best teacher here.

When the class finally ended, everyone filed out in an orderly fashion, and finally broke out into conversation when they entered the hallway. With my failure of a sketch folded and my pencil from the stranger in my pocket, I walked through the hallway, searching for stairs. Avoiding collisions effortlessly, and keeping my eyes pealed for my best friend as I rushed through the traffic of Fledglings, weaving back and forth until I finally found a set of stairs heading to the floor above. _I wonder if I'll have Gonzo in my of my classes_, I wondered, taking the stairs two at a time. _We're in the same grade, so we should- _The next thing I knew, I was laying upside down on the stairs, my foot hooked around a pillar under the railing.

"I'm so sorry!" a frantic voice shouted. _Great, first day of school, and already I'm having a pole show_. I grunted as I propped myself up with my hands, able to lift my head upright, but regretted it. A pain shot right through my head, temple to temple. My arms shook, and they nearly gave out when a pair of hands grabbed mr under my armpits and lifted me up. Another pair of hands pried my foot loose, and I found myself being carried back down the stairs bridal style.

"Hey, wait," I protested. "I gotta get to class!" I gotta find Gonzo!"

"Your head is bleeding," a female voice from next to me said. "You can't possibly go to class in your condition." I looked over my shoulder at her, and saw a petite girl with very long wavy red hair, trying to keep up. Students parted like the Red Sea, letting us get through without fuss.

"Honey, I won 1st place in 400m with a concussion, broken wrist, and a stomach ache," I countered. "A little bleeding isn't going to stop me."

"But your blood has already soaked Vince's shirt," she pointed out with a worried face. "Come on, faster Vince." _Oh right_, I thought, my head throbbing. _I'm being carried. _I tried to look up at him, but it hurt too much, so I just clenched my eyes shut, and waited to be put down again. _Oh well, I never liked French.

* * *

_

It didn't seem too long later that I was being placed on a bed, with a high pitched voice barking orders at my rescuers...or should I call them conspirators? Picking on the new kid. Like come on. They probably did it to skip out of class themselves. Heh, guess Vampyres still got some human qualities. Before I could get a look at my carrier, a light was being flashed in my eyes, blinding me instantly.

"Is that really necessary?" I snapped, flinching away.

"I'm making sure you haven't gotten a concussion," the nurse informed me. She was a hefty lady. A little more hefty than I thought a Vampyre would be. _At least they're showing more diversity_, I thought, allowing my head to be wrapped up in gauze a little too tight for comfort.

"Here you are, take this, and just lay here for awhile," she instructed.

"What?" I exclaimed, after swallowing the pill, "but I have to go to class!" _Oh Goddess, shoot me now_, I thought. _I'm begging to go to class. This woman really screwed me up by Marking me._

"You need to rest," she snapped, forcing me to lay down. "Now stay put!" I mumbled a few words that weren't even audible to me, but the meanings were in my head. When the nurse left, I planned to just leave without telling her, but a head of red hair poked inside the room.

"Hi," she said nervously. "I-I'm sorry for bumping into you. I was in rush."

"It's all good," I sighed, sitting up and flinching at the pain.

"You're new right?" she asked, coming fully inside now. She was wearing a black t-shirt with the symbol of a golden-winged heart, and a short black skirt. "I'm Skyler. Skyler Stevens."

"Melinda," I groaned, getting to my feet.

"You can't be serious," she gasped. "The nurse said to stay in bed."

"First thing to know about me," I said, strolling past her, a slight twinge in my ankle. "I don't do what I'm told."

"Y-you could get in trouble," she protested, following me out into the empty hallway.

"That's never stopped me before," I shrugged nonchalantly. "The only person who can stop me right now is you, but I doubt you could stand up to me, even with my injury. And unless you can somehow magically summon up your friend, I shall be making my way to class." Okay, I'll admit, I was kind of harsh, but hey, she was trying to ruin my first grand escape of the House of Night. Disobeying the nurses orders, wondering the halls while classes were in session, being late for class; oh yes, I was a real rebel. Seriously, I could probably get in trouble just for breathing the wrong way. This place was too uptight.

* * *

I decided to go along with the skipping class idea. Since they are Vampyres, and they know EVERYTHING, they'd notice my absence from my bed and come looking for me. I wasn't really sure what they were going to do, but being the first to get in trouble was actually kind of thrilling. If I was going to be wasting away my class time in a bed, why not spend it outside in the fresh air.

Guided by the flickering light of the torches, I made my way toward a baron section of the wall that surrounded the school. A small rock stuck out of the ground nearby, moss growing on its sides. It looked comfortable, so I sat down, leaning my back against it. _Maybe I could take a nap_, I thought, scratching my head where it wasn't bandaged. My hair was hard where blood had dried, flaking under my nails.

"That's gross," I grimaced, flicking the flakes away.

"Mew."

My body immediately jumped away from the sound, despite its innocent sound. My head looked around the rock though to make sure, and sure enough there was a little feline sitting there. You know those toilet paper commercials with those adorable little white kittens that scream "I'm cute! Buy this toilet paper so I can be freed!"? I swear, thats what this little kitten looked like, staring up at me with these giant glistening blue eyes. She was saying "Booya, I escaped those suckers! But now I need a home. Take me home!"

"And how can I say no," I cooed, scooping up the tiny bundle of white fur, after a slight hesitation. I didn't know if she was going to attack me or now.

"Mew," she exclaimed, trying to climb up my arm. Forgetting about my beloved dog, I cuddled with the cute, energetic form in my hands, going completely gaga over her.

"So what's your name?" I asked, allowing her to climb up on my shoulder. She mewed again in response, nosing my bandages curiously.

"Yeah, I had a little adventure," I giggled. "You should be careful too, or else you'll get bandaged too." As if to prove me wrong, she leaped from my shoulder and pranced to the top of the rock. With a proud mew, she jumped from the top, landing easily on the grass.

"Well done," I smiled, clapping my hands. "You know out of everyone I've met today, you are the only normal one." Swishing her tail back and forth, she trotted back over to me, and jumped into my lap.

"You'll probably be the only one to," I joked, picking her up so her eyes were level with mine. "Well, besides Gonzo. You meet anyone with the name George?" She replied with a light sneeze.

"I'll take that as a no," I smiled, letting her lick my nose. "I'm the only one who calls him Gonzo, and I doubt he'd tell anyone here that. So, what can I call you?" She mewed, wiggling out of my hands and climbed up onto my shoulder again.

"Perhaps Faith," I suggested. "You seem to be making a lot of leaps of it." She nuzzled my ear without complaint.

"Faith it is," I grinned. Time seemed to fly by, because before I knew it, a light buzzing sounded, signaling the end of the period.

"Well, time to get my fencing on," I sighed, getting to my feet.

"Mew!" Faith protested, nudging my ankle.

"Sorry cutie," I pouted. "I gotta go to class."

"Mew!" She latched her teeth into my pants, tugging pitifully. _So cute!_, I thought, nearly giving in to her demands.

"Now see here, Faith," I said firmly, trying to sound like my mother. "I already skipped a class, and the Vamps didn't do anything, so I don't really want to risk skipping another." Even though I wouldn't mind skipping again, I thought. "So, I have to go. And it's fencing. Fencing is fun. I've always wanted to try it." She stared up at me with round begging eyes that reminded me of Cherry.

"Ah man," I pouted. "Don't do this to me. I already have a depressed dog I abandoned in my room, please don't make me feel even more guilty." She continued to stare innocently at me.

"Alright, compromise," I growled, scooping her up. "You're coming with me."

* * *

"And what's this?" my teacher asked, lifting his eyebrow when I approached him with my timetable. He was a short guy, and looked quite fit, but old enough to be my grandfather. He had silver hair that was slicked back, with Tatoos shaped like normal lines that highlighted each wrinkle on his face.

"This little chipper is Faith," I introduced. "She became attached to me, literally."

"I meant your head," he said, motioning toward my bandages.

"Oh, I just tripped going up the stairs," I shrugged as if it was nothing. "No big deal. I've had worse."

"Would you like to sit out for the class?" he asked, looking at me worriedly.

"No," I replied a little too eagerly. "I mean, I already spent last period resting."

"Not in the nurse's office either," he said with a stern face. "Yes, we know you slipped out, but at least you didn't do anything stupid." He added when my face showed surprise. "You can leave Faith on the window sill. I don't want her getting in the way."

"Yessir," I saluted, strolling over to the window.

"There you are!" I looked over my shoulder to see Amethyst running at me.

"Howdy," I waved, setting my kitten down.

"What happened?" She demanded. "Why weren't you in class? Why is your head all wrapped up? Is that blood? Where'd you get that cat? Are-"

"Whoa, take a breath," I interrupted, blinking at her in bewilderment._ Boy can she talk_, I thought. "I just tripped down the stairs. Then went to the infirmary and got bandaged up, and then decided to slip out and spend class by the wall, where I met Faith."

"You skipped class?" Amethyst gasped in utter disbelief. "I can't believe it! What did they do to you? Did you get in trouble?"

"Professor Perry over there only gave me an evil eye," I shrugged.

"That's it?" she gasped, having trouble processing what I was telling her.

"I told you, you don't need to be so uptight about it all," I sighed rolling my eyes. "If humans can wave the rules, so can Vampyres." Leaving an aggravated Faith on the window sill, I moved over to the mats, ready to get the class started.


	5. CHAPTER FIVE

_\AN/_

_Just wanted to say that no, this isn't an OC admission story, one person got me confused with someone else, but thats okay. There are a few characters that aren't my own because I asked a few friends to create them. I didn't want to lose control of my story, so I keeping it simple._

_If you want to submit an OC, check out Evolved by my friend TazzyBizzy._

_This chapter introduces the character Raphael, created by my friend ImmortalxSnow._

_Enjoy._

CHAPTER FIVE

Melinda

Fencing was a pain in the ass. Literally. I didn't even get to any sparring; I was in too much pain from the warm ups, and positions I had to hold for such a long time. I swear I couldn't feel my thighs, or my butt. As I walked out of the gym, I was practically walking like a Sumo, with Faith on my shoulder.

"I still can't believe you didn't get in trouble," Amethyst groaned, folding her arms.

"Oh, my 'mentor' may have a few things to say about it," I sighed, tired of hearing her whine. "But it's no big deal. So stop making it a big one. If I didn't leave the infirmary, I probably never would have met Faith."

"Of course you would have," she replied, peering over at my cute little buddy. "She would have seen and chose you eventually."

"Choose me?" I blinked.

"Yeah, the cats choose you, you don't choose them," she explained as if I was suppose to already know this. "I wish that I would find a cat soon. I would love to have a pet."

"Well how about we share?" I offered. "I have a dog, and now a cat. I've got more than I can handle."

"Oh really?" she gasped, clasping her hands in excitement. "Oh that's so exciting." _Geez, she's acting like I'm giving her a free shopping spree_, I thought, trying to hide my eye roll. I couldn't help but have mixed feelings about her. She was cute and adorable, but she could be so.... would simple minded be the right words? Or maybe overactive? Maybe both? Either way, I was having mixed feelings, but hey that meant she was still human. I always had mixed feelings about people other than Gonzo.

"Hey, Amethyst-Chan!" A gangly looking boy ran up in front of us with tanned skin, and shoulder-length brown hair. I would have just pushed past him any other time, but I was still so sore I didn't bother.

"Oh hey," she greeted.

"I downloaded those songs for you," he smiled sheepishly, holding out a disk. "I also have it on a USB if you wanted to put it into your ipod."

"Oh, that's okay," she shrugged, taking it from him. "I don't have one anyways."

"A-hem." I pretended to clear my throat to let them know I was still there. Not that I cared, but Amethyst was eager to introduce me to everyone we passed, but didn't seem to be with him.

"Oh, right," she smiled politely. "This is Melinda Bree. Melinda, this is Raphael Silverston."

"Nice to meet you," he grinned.

"Likewise," I nodded, petting Faith's head.

"May I ask what happened?" Raphael asked, motioning toward my head.

"Pole dance gone wrong," I shrugged, flipping my hair. "No big deal." He gave me this blank look that assured me he got the wrong idea.

"We have to go," Amethyst spoke up. "Don't want to be late for class."

"Oh, right," he nodded. "I'll see you later then?"

"Yes," she nodded, leading me away.

"So who's that?" I asked with a small smirk.

"That's Raphael," she replied, giving me a look that said I should have picked up on that. "He's a Fourth Former."

"I meant who is he to _you_," I said, rephrasing myself. "You like him?"

"No," she said a little too quickly. "I mean, he's just a friend."

"Yeah, he could be just a friend, but your feelings could be more."

"I only think of him as a friend." Her statement was a final one, so I let it go.

"So music is in room 312," Amethyst smiled, heading toward the arts building.

"We gotta climb to a third floor?" I whined, my legs aching even more at the thought.

"No, no," Amethyst giggled. "The main building has 100 and 200 rooms. The arts building has 300 and 400 rooms." Thank goodness, I thought, sighing in relief.

"312 is right next to the auditorium," she continue. "It's the biggest room on campus. It can fit the entire school plus more, and is where the High Priestess gathers us for important meetings and presentations."

"Presentations?" I asked, lifting my eyebrow.

"Sometimes we have plays," Amethyst smiled, happily. "I heard last year we did Grease."

"Should have figured," I sighed. "A lot of these _things_ have talent that gets them into the spotlight."

"Why do you call us things?" she asked, looking a bit hurt. I huffed and rolled my eyes.

"If it hasn't been obvious, then I'll just spell it out," I said, glancing at her from the corner of my eye. "I hate Vampyres." Amethyst stopped in mid-stride, staring at me in disbelief. Goodness, she's looking at me as if I just told her I was her mother, I thought.

"You...hate us?" she asked in a small voice.

"Well, not you specifically, I guess, but Vampyres in general yes," I nodded. "I've always have, so don't take it personally." She tilted her head at me, her face looking not sad...but sympathetic.

"You must really hate it here then," she said. "That's why you act the way you do. You want to show your hate indirectly. Bringing Cherry here, skipping class, being overly sarcastic....I'm sorry."

"Huh?" I shouted, taking a step back, causing Faith to fuss. "Why are _you_ apologizing?"

"Because I didn't see it sooner," she replied, a small smile tugging on her lips. "I usually can tell who people are, but you, I couldn't figure out."

"It's fine, I didn't expect anyone to try and...'get' me," I shrugged. "Only one person does, and only one person ever will. Well, that actually seems far fetched, but you get what I mean."

"But I'm your roommate. I-"

"You only just met me girl!" I shouted exasperatedly, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them lightly. Faith fell from my shoulder and landed on the ground with a distressed yowl.

"I haven't known you long," I continued, staring at her hard, "and you haven't known me long. You can't expect to know me from hanging out with me for half a day. My best friend has known me since kindergarten, and he only just started getting to really know a few years ago."

"You're best friend is a boy?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Yes, but that's besides the point," I replied. "Don't beat yourself up about not picking up on what kind of person I am. Sometimes I don't even know who I am. I surprise myself a lot of the time." Amethyst stared up at me in astonishment, her mouth slightly open.

"A-are you sure?" she asked, sounding worried. "Because I-"

"No, I mean it," I nodded, "and even thought I hate Vampyres, I have to say you are the coolest one I've met." This caught her off guard.

"R-Really?" she stammered, blushing.

"Of course," I grinned. "Now come on. We're gonna be late for class if we don't hurry."

"I can't let that be on my record," she gasped, hurrying away. "Come on!" I laughed lightly, picking up Faith before following.

-

The room's floor was set up as platforms leading down to the front of the room where a podium stood. Each platform had a row of chairs, and the back was piled with percussion equipment. The room was filled with more kids than I expected too. They were gathered in groups around the room, some sitting in chairs, others on the ledges of the platforms.

"What instrument do you play by the way?" Amethyst asked, heading toward the front of the class. "I play the oboe."

"I only know how to play the drum set," I shrugged.

"So you'd be a percussionist then," she smiled. "You get all the cool parts."

"Alright students, you can go grab your instrument from the back room," a male voice instructed. "We'll start right away on our pieces." I turned toward the back of the room and saw a man standing in the doorway to a back office. He has dark hair that was pulled into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, and squared glasses framed his eyes(He was too far away for me to notice what color they were). He wore black jeans, and a black long-sleeved shirt with an emblem over his heart.

"That's Professor Volante," Amethyst smiled.

"I kind of figured," I huffed, allowing Faith to play with my hair. "Why did I get stuck with a guy mentor?"

"How am I suppose to know?" she said, shrugging. "They usually match Fledglings up with mentors who are similar to them."

"Pfft, no one is like me," I laughed.

"It would be nice though," she smiled. "You're the only person I talk to."

"What about that Raphael guy?" I smirked. "He talks to you."

"Yeah, but....," she stammered looking flustered. "You know what I meant! Ugh. I'm gonna go get my instrument."

"Righto," I nodded, giving her a small salute. "I shall just go and check out the drum kit over there."

"You should tell Volante first," Amethyst suggested heading to the equipment room. "He doesn't like people touching instruments that they aren't familiar without without his permission."

"I was born with drumsticks in my hands," I laughed exaggeratedly. "Come Faith. Time to show you my skills."

"Mew!" she chimed in agreement as I climbed to the back of the room. There was no one else back here yet, they were still either getting their instruments, or lagging around in a random spot to gossip before the final bell went. I scratched my head and searched around for some sticks. I missed mine. I can't believe I forgot to bring them. They were a made of this nice, smooth black wood, and they handled like a dream. My scavenging brought me to a cabinet that was slightly ajar. I opened it farther and found percussion tools, which included drumsticks. Grabbing a pair, I put Faith on the floor and twirled them between my fingers to get use to them. Faith complained, but she followed me over to the trap set.

On the way I could hear a faint song being played. I looked over to the only bass amp in the room and saw a boy with his back turned to practically the entire room, a bass in his hands, and strumming away._ Hmm...,_ I thought intrigued. I sat down on the small stool and adjusted the parts of the set to my liking. It was faint, but I could get the just of what he was playing. A beat automatically came to my head that was perfect, and before I knew it, I was playing it. Faith had gone around to the other end of the bass drum, and when I hit it, she was sent jumping back with a screeching hiss. I only played for a ten seconds when I heard the bass guitar over me. I turned to see the boy was now standing, with one foot on the amp, his black hair was covering his bowed face, but I could tell he had a look of determination. _Oooo, battle_, I thought with a big grin, taking my beat to another level. _This'll be interesting._

Student's gathered around in curiosity, watching us close as we battled it out on our far different instruments. He only needed coordination in his fingers, but I had to coordinate my arms and legs. But he was good. Really good. So much better than the bassist from the band me and Gonzo started. Before I knew it, we were in a turn pass on thing. I had stopped, and he was doing all these fancy guitar things earning a lot of cheering and hoots from the crowd. Smirking when my turn came around, I did some rhythmic changed between the high hat and bass drum, while alternating my sticks from the toms to the snare, and back. I let him go again, and even more fancy rifts came flooding from the amp, causing every one in the room to stop and watch. My next solo I was spun one stick around in the air, while I did a speedy beat the snare with the other, and then brought both down hard on the symbols before going all out.

This was the most fun I've had in such a long time. Jamming on the drum, while dueling this guy on the bass. He joined in again, and we both went full out, causing kids in the hallway to stop and watch in awe. Just as an awesome idea flashed in my head, I went deaf. I swear to the Goddess I went deaf. I was still banging away at the drum set, but no sound was coming. Even the bass. I couldn't hear anything. I stopped and looked around in shock, but the other students had knowing faces, dispersing to their section.

"You must be Melinda Bree," a male voice spoke up form behind me, nearly giving me a heart attack. I jumped up from my seat, and spun around to come face to face with my mentor.

"Y-yes," I stammered wide eyed. The tattoos on his face were amazing. They looked like a staff flowing from his filled in Mark, intertwined with various music symbols I couldn't name.

"I'm Professor Volante, you're mentor, as you should know," he smiled politely, "and since you're new I'm guessing no one told you the rules of my classroom?"

"No sir," I lied. Amethyst did tell me a bit, but hey, I don't mind breaking some rules. Maybe it can get me kicked out of here.

"Well, no one is allowed to play their instruments before instructed to," he began. "It keeps peace, and allows others to speak and think without the disruptive noise of reckless playing."

"It wasn't reckless," I huffed, putting my hands on my hips defiantly. "I know what I'm doing. I've played the drums for years."

"Tell that to my ride cymbal," he said, motioning toward one of the symbols I had been playing on. I nearly passed out. There was a huge dent in it the size the stick I was holding.

"I-I didn't mean...," I stammered, at a loss of words.

"It's alright," he shrugged. "You didn't know the rules, and most certainly don't understand the extent of your new strength. No matter. I've been meaning to put in a request for a new kit."

"I'm really sorry," I repeated, and I really was. Well, more like freaked out. How the hell did I do that?, I thought, subconsciously scratching my head with the drum stick.

"And those are not for brushing your hair," Volante said, quickly snatching the sticks from my hands. "I take it your expertise lies with percussion."

"I've only ever played the kit," I replied, feeling Faith rub against my leg.

"So you know how to play the snare, bass, toms and cymbal," he nodded. "You'll be fine. Except..." He gave me this weirdo look that made my skin crawl, and my feet slowly inch away.

"Can you roll?"

"Huh?" I squeaked, unsure of what he meant.

"Can you do a roll?" he repeated. "On the snare?"

"Oh," I sighed, relief flooding through my shaking limbs. "Yeah. In grade school they had this drum line workshop. We learned all this fancy stuff."

"Show me," he ordered, slapping the sticks into my hand, causing them to sting. I flinched, but took them anyways and moved over to the snare. Okay..., I thought. Maybe I should have mentioned I haven't done a roll since grade school... Hey, I wasn't just going to stand there like an idiot. I tried to do one...and failed. But hey, I'm not the only fancy drummer who can't do a roll.

"Looks like you need work," he said, giving me this disapproving look, just like my grandma did when she found out I hated skirts. I kept my head held high though, and gave him a defiant as he turned toward the bass boy.

"And you, Vince," he said glaring at him, "I've given many warnings to. She is new though, and I do know what it's like to not back out of a challenge, so I'll let it slide this time." _Vince...._, I thought. _That sounds familiar...._ The boy looked up to acknowledge him with a nod, and my breath got caught in my throat. He. Was. HOT! His face was just...Wow! And his eyes were this gorgeous bright blue that stood out from underneath is long bangs. Seeing how great his face looked, made my eyes wander downward to get a look at the rest of him, and I could tell, even with baggy clothes, he had some nice toned muscles underneath. Usually I don't find myself going all goo goo over guys, but hey, I'm allowed. I am a girl after all.

I looked up at him again, and my eyes met his angry glare. My face became hot, so I instantly turned around. Okay, keep cool, I coached myself silently. He's just another guy, not to mention he's a Fledgling. A very hot one yes, but still a Fledgling.

"Alright class," Volante spoke out, catching everyone's attention as he made his way to the front. "Let's start with our warm ups. Melinda, why don't you take the timpani today?"

"Uh, sure," I mumbled, looking around for a drum that didn't look familiar to me.

"They're right there," a boy in the section with me said, pointing to four large upright drums of different sizes.

"Ah, thanks," I nodded in gratitude, moving over to the large things. Faith followed faithfully. _Interesting_, I thought, eying the drums. I looked over at the bass section and Vince had his back to me, sitting next to two other bassists. _Very interesting...._

-

"That was amazing," Amethyst grinned, watching me in awe. Class was over, and I was so glad for it to be lunchtime.

"Thanks," I replied, Faith getting tangled in my hair. "What's really amazing is when I couldn't hear anything. It was like I was temporarily deaf."

"Oh, that was just Professor Volante," she shrugged. "That's his ability. To manipulate sound waves."

"Wow, really," I asked, blinking in amazement.

"Yeah, he can even create a melody just by thinking it," she grinned. "He's really cool."

"He could loosen up a bit, but eh, oh well," I shrugged, nonchalantly. "He's a teacher. So we're going to the cafeteria now right?"

"Yup," she nodded. "You know you can let Faith down."

"She follows me regardless," I said, putting the ball of white fur on the ground.

"Mew!" she squealed, trying to climb my leg.

"See," I laughed. "Stay down there for awhile," I said down at my furry friend. "You can walk."

"Mew!" she cried again, before dashing off.

"You think I made her mad?" I asked, blinking in surprise.

"Don't worry, she'll forgive you," Amethyst grinned. The two of us followed the flow of Fledglings flooding into the dining hall. I anxiously followed close behind Amethyst as we made our way through the front doors. My heart was pounding so fast. I hadn't seen Gonzo at all so far in the large crowd, and I was worried he may have not made it through the Change. I guess I could have asked Amethyst a long time ago, but I guess I wanted the triumph of finding him on my own.

The place was huge. There were booths set up along the walls, and tables set up in the middle, all around this one table that looked to be an offering. My eyes darted around the room, hoping to find him as I absentmindedly followed Amethyst to the line. I hope Gonzo's in here, I thought, my heart racing. I want to see him so bad.

"What would you like?" she asked picking up a tray for each of us.

"I-" There he was! I had found him! He had his back to me, but I could still tell it was him. He stood in front of one of the booths across the room, talking with a group of people._ He's got friends!_, I thought. _My Gonzo has friends other than me! YAY!_

"GONZO!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, unable to contain myself anymore. Everyone, and I mean everyone, stopped what they were doing, and stared at me. Gonzo stopped too, and looked around the room expectantly. He looked different. Obviously with that Mark on his forehead, but he also looked...handsomer.

"Gonzo!" I laughed, flailing my arms, and taking off into a hasty run.

"Lin!" he grinned, when he finally saw me. I didn't slow down at all when I reached him, and jumped up so I could wrap my arms and my legs around him, in the biggest bear hug I could manage. I wasn't surprised when I didn't knock him over, like I usually did. Being a Fledgling made him stronger.

"It's really you!" I squealed.

"Of course it is," he laughed, hugging me tightly back. "You think I was gonna get my body snatched or something?" I couldn't believe it. We were finally together again.

"Looks like the newbie's here," one of his friends said, sounding amused.

"I hope Tonya doesn't get jealous," a girl giggled. Tonya? The way she said that name pushed a button of realization.

"Who's Tonya?" I asked, finally loosening my grip, and he placed me on the ground.

"She's, uh, my girlfriend," Gonzo half grinned, scratching the back of his head. Without thinking, I punched him full force in the arm.

"OW!" he shouted, actually flinching. "What was that for?"

"Why didn't you tell me you had a GF?" I demanded, literally stamping my foot down. "We tell each other everything! Every little thing! And having a GF is a big thing, so I thought you'd tell me!"

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered, looking worried. "I j-just thought-"

"Wait," I interrupted, closing my eyes to rewind and replay what I just heard. "You have a girlfriend?" I looked up at him, a smile slowly spreading across my face.

"Yeah," Gonzo nodded, grinning as well.

"You, nerdy Gonzo have a GF?" I asked again, as if I still couldn't believe it. I was suddenly filled with happiness. It seemed like a miracle. I always feared my insecure Gonzo wouldn't get himself a girl. Not only does he have friends, but a girlfriend too! I guess being Marked turned out to be good for him. NO!, I scolded myself internally. Being Marked isn't a good thing! Don't think like that!

"Okay, you make it sound like I have glasses, and wear my pants half way up my chest," he laughed.

"Well...," I smiled amusingly, recalling a day in grade 8.

"Hey," he said warningly, holding up his index finger as if he were my mother, but his face instantly changed to worry. "What happened to your head?"

"Oh this?" I asked, touching my bandages. "No biggie. I fell down the stairs."

"You fell down the stairs?" He repeated with a look of disbelief.

"More like I knocked her down them," a familiar voice spoke up from the booth. I looked over and saw the redhead from earlier. She was seated next to a girl with dark skin and a gazillion tiny braids in her hair. Across from them was a pair of blonde twins. Like, identical twins. A perfect mirror image of each other.

"I can't believe you're the same Melinda that Greg's been talking about," Skyler said, looking even more guilty.

"Oh, you talk about me," I grinned, looking flattered.

"You are my best friend," he shrugged.

"Except he doesn't talk about you much when Tonya's around," one of the twins said.

"Of course not," the dark girl replied making a face. "No girl wants their boyfriend talking about another girl."

"Wait...," I said, cocking an eyebrow. "She just called you Greg."

"Yeah, that's my name now," he nodded. "Greg Henson."

"How'd you change your name?" I gasped.

"When you become Marked you're allowed to," the other twin explained. "Some people pick names that are utterly ridiculous though." He was eying his twin.

"I want to change my name," I stated. …But to what?

"You don't need to change your name," Gonzo replied, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You've got a great name. Not plain, but not extravagant. It's just right."

"I never liked having Bree as a last name," I pouted, putting my hands on my hips. "I need something more significant."

"I think Bree is a cool last name," Skyler smiled. _You'll say anything flattering to make it up to me_, I thought.

"You should make some proper intros bro," the first twin spoke up, munching on a sandwich.

"Oh right," Gonzo laughed, gesturing to his group of friends. "These are my new friends Jordan, Zach, Skyler, Destiny and Vince. Guys, this is my best friend, Melinda Bree."

"Hi," I nodded, giving them a little wave, but froze when I ran the list of names again in my head. Vince... I then realized me and Gonzo we're the only ones standing. Leaning against the booth next to Skyler was the bass guy from my music class. That's where I heard his name before!, I thought. Skyler said his name when I was being rushed to the infirmary. He's the one who carried me there. My eyes quickly averted his and continued to smile at those who were sitting in the booth.

"Welcome to the House of Night," Jordan smiled. Or was it Zach? Ah, I can't remember.

"Ha, yeah, I nice place this'll be," I replied sarcastically. They all looked at me with confused looks.(Didn't bother looking at Vince, so I just assumed he was looking at me as strangely as they were.)

"Um, could you not be so heavy on the Vampyre-hate here," Gonzo whispered.

"Yeah, sure," I nodded, not sounding to convincing.

"Sorry I'm late!" Called a cheery voice from behind me. I looked behind me and saw the most stuck up looking person I'd ever see. Just her presence was giving off so much queen bee vibes that my bitch sensor nearly blew up. She was dark skinned, and dark haired, which was flowing from her head like a water fountain all the way to her waist. Her clothes were skin tight, and showed a little cleavage then I thought was allowed at a school. I had to keep myself from saying something myself.

"Hey Tonya," Gonzo grinned.

"Tonya? I repeated in exasperation.

"And who are you?" she asked, giving me the up and down look in disgust.

"The new girl," I answered, folding my arms. "The names Melinda. I'm Gonzo's best friend."

"Who's Gonzo?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Me," Gonzo replied, raising his hand slightly, and looking embarrassed.

"I didn't know you had such a cute nickname back home," she grinned up at him, almost making me gag. Almost.

"Only Melinda calls me that," he said.

"Oh." Tonya's face instantly became straight, and she took her spot at the table, forcing Destiny and Skyler over. "So it's just a silly pet name from a friend." Silly? Pet name? She was really pushing my buttons.

"So what's on the agenda for the next meeting?" Tonya asked, addressing her friends and ignoring me. I took in a deep breath, and could feel my blood start to boil. Gonzo grabbed my arm and gave me a warning look, which I only replied with narrowing my eyes at him disapprovingly.

"Will you excuse us for a moment?" he asked, already leading me away.

"Greg, where are you going?" Tonya demanded.

"Showing Melinda the fountain," he replied.

-

And he wasn't kidding. He dragged me all the way to the fountain that sat in the middle of the courtyard.

"Like 'ow', vice grip much," I groaned when he finally let me go.

"What's your problem?" he demanded, turning to face me with a hard look.

"Me?" I laughed. "What's wrong with you? Have you seen who you're dating?"

"You've just met her," he sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "How can you hate her already."

"'Cause she's just like Malory Jenkins," I snapped, putting my hands on my hips.

"Malory was some stuck up girl who slept with the entire basketball team," he snapped, rolling his eyes. "Tonya isn't like that."

"No, she just probably sleeps with any guy she wants," I shrugged. "I feel the bitch vibes coming from her. You know I have a great bitch sensor."

"You just gotta get to know her," he insisted. "Give her a chance. Please? For me?" I folded my arms over my chest, and pursed my lips in thought. He usually had a great judge of character, but perhaps being Marked messed up his head? Maybe he was following his hormones and decided to date a sexy looking babe. Nah, even if brainwashed, he'd go for more than looks. Guess, there must be something about her deep down that was really worth getting to know. Like buried really, really deep under those stuck up, bitchy layers.

"Alright," I sighed, shrugging nonchalantly, "but if I sense phoniness, I will tell you."

"Great," he grinned, giving me a huge hug. I only sighed, and hugged him back. This was what I knew. This was familiar to me. Just me and him. Two best friends, finally reunited after being apart for so long. I didn't want it to be any other way...but I had to accept it. He had other friends than me now, so I also had to branch off too. He had a girlfriend now, so he wouldn't have all his time just to spend on me. I was going to hate sharing.


	6. CHAPTER SIX

\AN/

For those of you thinking "Tonya's like Aphrodite", she's not. Trust me. XP I didn't realize how closely they were in character though until I made her, but don't worry, she's different.

Introducing another character in this chapter. She belongs to my RL friend, Devilyssa Lithium! ^-^. I hope I do her justice.

Disclaimer: I do not own HoN, nor do I own anything associated with these real famous people I mention throughout this fic.

CHAPTER_ SIX_

Melinda

I felt bad, but I had completely forgotten about Amethyst. When Gonzo and I walked back into the cafeteria, I found her sitting by herself at a table on the opposite side of where Gonzo's friends were sitting. She was twiddling her spoon in a thick looking soup, and I could tell she looked abandoned.

"Um, I'm going to go sit with my roomie," I said, stopping before we got too far. "What are your last two classes?"

"Vampyre Sociology and Fencing," he replied. To refresh my memory, I took out my now crumpled schedule and ran through it.

"I have Vampyre Sociology with you," I grinned excitedly. "Sadly, that's the only class though."

"It's okay," he shrugged. "You sure you don't wanna come sit with us? You can bring your friend too." The thought sounded amazing, and it pained me to say no, but I had to. Amethyst wasn't a people person, and I knew if I brought her over I'd be getting into deep conversation with them and probably end up ignoring her.

"It's alright," I said, waving my hand as if it were nothing. "We can catch up next period. Besides, I don't think the Queen Bee like's my presence."

"Her name is Tonya," He corrected, hesitating to give me a noogie. He instead gave me a tight hug. "See ya next period Lin."

"Bye Gonzo," I smiled, heading over to Amethyst. _AH!_, I screamed internally. _I finally see him again and I can't spend time with him yet. He's changed so much, hopefully he doesn't do anything he normally wouldn't._

"Sup rommie?" I asked, plopping down in the seat across from hers. She jumped up in surprise, dropping her spoon on the table.

"Y-you came back?" she gasped in amazement.

"Of course," I shrugged, grabbing one of her slices of bread and eating it. "You didn't think I'd abandon you now did ya?"

"Well, you did seem excited to see him," she mumbled, eating a spoonful of soup. "Who is that?"

"My life-long friend Gonzo," I grinned, grabbing a few carrots from her tray. "He goes by Greg Henson now that he's a Fledgling. Only I call him Gonzo. He'll always be Gonzo."

"Isn't that a puppet?" Amethyst asked, lifting an eyebrow in curiosity. "He's friends with that Kermit the frog guy right?"

"You know your stuff," I laughed proudly. "I'll be right back though. I gotta get some food of my own. They got any pizza up there?"

"No, just soup and sandwiches today," she replied shaking her head.

"What?" I groaned, smacking my head on the table, catching a few people's eyes. "What kind of cafeteria is this? No pizza? No mystery meat? No gross goop? Not even cake for dessert? How am I suppose to build a good immune system if all the food it_ good_?"

"We usually have some sort of dessert for dinner," Amethyst smiled. "They try to keep us healthy by feeding us healthy foods and giving us lots of exercise. It's suppose to help us go through the Change."

"Great, so they're controlling my diet now," I mumbled, getting up and moving to the now empty line. I grabbed a tray and slid it along in front of the healthy selection they had. Amethyst was right. All that was available was sandwiches, soups, and even a bit of salad. Only garden salad sadly. _Man, couldn't they at least have Caesar?_, I thought, grabbing a bunch of tuna sandwiches and dropping them on my plate. I was a big tuna fanatic. I could eat a whole can by myself, _without_ mixing it with mayonnaise I might add, but of course I squeeze the excess juice out of it.

"I bet your mercury consumption is higher than most people," a voice spoke up from behind me. I jumped, spilling a third of a bowl of chicken noodle soup on my tray and sandwiches.

"Oops," giggled the girl. "Sorry about that." She was THE stereotype look for goths. Her hair was short, black and streaked with about four different colors(blue, purple, red and green from what I could see), which was thrown up in to messy, bun-ish looking ponytails. She had racoon eyes, heavy with black eye shadow and mascara around her green irises, but her lips were painted white though. She had a black collar on with a blood red heart charm hanging from it. She had a on a black t-shirt that I presumed had her Former symbol on it, but it was covered by her red leather jacket that had black laces up the sleeves and down her sides. Her legs were covered half way by a blood red skirt with black mesh, and by black combat boots on the other half. Her hands had fingerless red-laced black gloves, and her nails had black nail polish.

"Uh, no, it's okay," I shrugged, grabbing utensils. "It's all going the same place anyways."

"That is so true," she smiled. "You're the new girl huh?"

"Yes, Melinda Bree," I nodded, picking up my tray. "You sure stand out in this place."

"Yeah, I thought I'd actually blend in for once," she shrugged. "Turns out Vampyres aren't all gothy after all." I raised my eyebrow at her in confusion.

"Have you seen half the famous Vampires?" I asked.

"The only ones I know and pay attention to look like me," she replied. "Like Amy Lee, Lacey Mosely, Panic! at the Disco...Oh sorry. My name is Taryn. Taryn Spencer."

"Nice to meet you," I nodded. "Well, if you'll excuse me-"

"Could I come sit with you?" she asked, smiling brightly. "My friends ditched me." _Some friends you have...._, I thought.

"Uh, sure," I shrugged._ Hope Amethyst wont get scared away._ I lead Taryn over to our table, where Amethyst was giving me an uneasy look.

"Uh, Taryn, this is Amethyst," I introduced sitting across form her. "Amethyst, meet Taryn."

"Nice to meet you Amy," Taryn grinned, holding out her gloved hand for a shake.

"It's Amethyst-Chan actually," she corrected, shaking her hand. "I don't think I've seen you in any of my classes."

"That's because I'm not," she replied. "I'm a Fourth Former." She moved her jacket and showed us a golden winged-heart.

"Oh," she nodded, twirling at her soup again. I was scarfing down my soup drenched sandwiches. I was hungrier than I thought. I then realized I hadn't had breakfast. I could hear them making conversation with each other, but I was too busy stuffing my mouth. I had finally drained my bowl of soup when I jumped to my feet.

"I'm getting more," I announced.

"But classes will start soon," Amethyst protested.

"We still got 20 minutes," Taryn said. "Don't worry Amy, you have plenty of time. You won't ruin your perfect attendance record. It's not like they have anything like that here anyways." Amethyst gave her a wary look, but I ignored it and hurried over to fill my tray with more tuna sandwiches. I was so hungry, I even stuffed one in my mouth as I was loading up.

"Slow down Lin before you choke," Gonzo laughed coming up beside me.

"I'm hungry," I mumbled, stuffing another sandwich in my mouth.

"I told you you should eat breakfast in the morning," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Where's the Queen Bee?" I asked, whipping my mouth on the back of my hand.

"She went to go plan out the next meeting," he replied.

"Meeting?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"She's on the Dark Daughter's committee," he explained. "It's this club, sorta like Student Council back at T. P. Malcolm, except they cast a 'circle' at each meeting, allowing the High Priestess in Training to get some practice, and then go over school related issues. It started in Tulsa, and kinda spread out throughout North America." I blinked at him in confusion, a sandwich slice half hanging out of my mouth.

"Don't worry," he laughed, lightly punching my shoulder. "You'll see what I mean later today. There's going to be a circle casting done by the High Priestess herself."

"Snazzy," I nodded. "Is it mandatory to go though?"

"Yeah it is," he half smiled. "Come on Lin, it won't be that bad."

"Watching leeches in their worship dance to a dark entity? Oh yes, real joyous," I replied sarcastically.

"Hey Mel, you mind if I borrow Amy?" Taryn didn't walk over, she just appeared next to me. One second she wasn't there, the next she was.

"Um, sure?" I replied, lifting an eyebrow.

"Great," she grinned, giving me a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I just want to show her something." The little girl hurried over to a nervous looking Amethyst. Her eyes were wide with fear, and I could just make out what she was mouthing as she was dragged away.

"What did she say?" Gonzo asked.

"Come to the stables after class to make sure I'm there," I replied, before stuffing my face. "How much time we have left?"

"15 minutes."

"Great, I have enough time to check on Cherry," I smiled, abandoning my tray.

"You brought Cherry?" He practically shouted.

"Yessir," I smiled proudly.

"Do the teachers know?" he asked, following me toward the girl's dorm.

"That Cross lady does. She approved of it herself."

"Mew!" My leg was suddenly attacked by tiny claws.

"Ha, someone's going to be jealous," he grinned, as I picked up the eager ball of fur. "She know you're a dog lover?"

"No, but I guess I could introduce them," I shrugged. "This is Faith. She found me when I skipped second."

"You skipped second?" He disapprovingly lifted his eyebrow at me.

"I was going to be laying in a bed anyways," I sighed, rolling my eyes. "I didn't get in trouble, so it's all good." I settled the kitty on my shoulder and started off again.

"So how's Malcolm?" Gonzo asked, an air of the old, excited Gonzo surrounded him. "Is Mr. Johns still there?"

"He died of a heart attack last week," I informed him. "It happened in his sleep. The funeral was a couple days ago."

"Wow,' he whistled, his face grim. "He was old, but a great guy. At least it wan't painful. What about that weirdo Spanish teacher?"

"Got fired last week for hitting on a student," I snickered evilly. "It's about time that ass got caught. The student went to the principal about it. Goodness, don't you read the news?"

"Don't you mean watch the news?" he corrected, petting Faith's head. She responded with a hiss, and lashed at his finger.

"Watch the news, read the newspaper, it's all the same thing," I sighed, rolling my eyes. "You're allowed to come to the girls' dorm right?"

"Yeah we're allowed," he nodded giving Faith a look. "We just gotta leave before curfew."

"There's a curfew?" I groaned, sound lie a whiney kid.

"Only for leaving the other dorm, but it's recommended we get lots of sleep," he explained, holding the door open for me when we got there.

"It's all part of the keep-us-healthy-to-get-us-through-the-Change isn't it?"

"Yup," he nodded. As soon as we reached the foot of the stairs, I could hear excited barks coming from the floor above.

"My baby!" I cried dramatically, taking the stairs in twos.

"Mew!" Faith hissed, pulling at my hair.

"Alright, my K9 baby," I corrected. "You're my Kitty baby okay?" She nuzzled my cheek in approval.

"How do you think Cherry's going to react?" Gonzo asked, keeping up close behind me.

"She's going to think I betrayed her, I know that much," I sighed, "but I still love her. I always will. She just has to learn to share me. Faith did choose _me_ after all." There was an anxious clawing on the door to my room. I was about to grab the handle when Gonzo stepped in front of me.

"I'll keep her from eating Kitty," he winked, grinning brightly. I couldn't help but smile in return, overcome by this strong warm feeling that washed over me.

"I missed you," I found myself saying, feeling tears build up behind my eyes.

"Whoa," he said, looking surprised. "Are you gonna cry?"

"Of course not," I replied defiantly, rubbing by face on Faith. "She just whipped her tail in my face."

"Alright then," he said with a knowing smile. He then opened the door, and was greeted by a yipping bloodhound in midair.

"Hey girl," Gonzo laughed, catching her. "How you doin'?"

"Woof!" Cherry barked loudly, lapping at his face.

"Mew!" Faith gasped from my shoulder. This caused my dog to stop and stare at me.

"Hey girl," I grinned nervously. "This is Faith. She's...gonna be your new roomie." The dog just stared at me, her face unreadable.

"I think she's in shock," Gonzo said, still holding on to her front legs. "Cherry-girl?" A growl finally erupted from her throat, followed by an earsplitting bark. Faith replied with a defiant hiss of her own.

"No fighting," I warned. "You will behave, you will be friends, and you will get along."

"Hey!" someone shouted from down the hall. "I have a splitting headache! So will you shut that stupid dog up?" I turned to see who it was, but they had already retreated to their room.

"Okay, inside girl," Gonzo ordered, putting her down and nudging her inside with his foot. She obeyed, but kept on growling. I quickly stepped in after them and closed the door.

"People are cranky," I mumbled, putting Faith down on my dresser. Cherry took her loyal post on the end of my bed and snarled at Faith threateningly, defending her territory. Faith paid her no attention and rubbed her head against my hand.

"You're room looks exactly the same," Gonzo smiled, sitting down next to Cherry. "You brought those pictures along?" He was referring to the three on my dresser.

"Of course, I don't have any other pictures," I shrugged. "I gotta dress up my side with something."

"It seems so long ago," he sighed. "Is Jake still a jerk?"

"I almost punched him the day I was Marked," I nodded. "Chrystal had to pull me away. She was gonna give me a ride home when...That thing Marked me. It was the same one."

"Really?" he asked, making a face. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, I'm sure," I scowled leaning my back against the dresser. "That gruesome Mark surrounded by skull Tatoos. And that rusty looking hair. How could I forget those soulless black eyes?"

"You sure remember a lot," Gonzo said, scratching Cherry's head.

"Of corse I'd remember the face of the guy who damned us," I growled, squeezing my hands together. "If I ever find him I'm gonna mess him up good."

"Lin," he sighed, shaking his head. "He was just doing his job. He was doing Nyx's work. She wanted us to be her children."

"Then how come about 1/3 die?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow. "There's a chance we wont even live to be real leeches. Perhaps it'll be better to die."

"Don't say that Lin," he said, narrowing his eyes. "This is obviously better than being dead."

"Yeah, sure," I mumbled, scratching Faith behind the ears. A silence fell on us, but it wasn't the usual calm, comforting quiet that we usual fell into between conversations or other things. This silence was actually....awkward. I wasn't sure what to talk to him about. There should be a ton of things to talk about since we hadn't seen each other in a month, even with a few emails between the two of us, but I couldn't think of anything to talk about. He was so different. He was physically more attractive, he had a whole circle of friends, he had a girlfriend...Physically more attractive? Whoa, whoa, I did not just think that!, I thought. Right? I've never thought of looking at him like that. Being asked really has screwed with me.

"Where's Cherry's food?" Gonzo asked, pulling me from my disturbing thoughts.

"Under the bed I think,"I replied, walking over to look. I shove his legs over so I can left the bed skirt to see. Seeing the bright green package underneath, I grabbed it and dragged the enormous bag out. Cherry lifted her head in anticipation.

"Where is her bowl at?" Gonzo asked, getting to his feet.

"They're right here," I replied, searching around for a glossy silver bowl. I saw light gleam off the metal, but my heart sank when I realized it was far under, against the wall. Growling in annoyance, I shoved the bag aside, dropped to y stomach, and shimmed under the bed.

"What are you doing?" Gonzo asked, caught by surprise.

"I'm trying to get the bowl," I grunted, trying to keep my head on its side. There wasn't a lot of space, and I wasn't planning on getting stuck. I was finally able to grab the bowl, but after I had to slip my butt under. I tried to push off the wall to pry myself loose, but I got snagged on something.

"Uh...Gonzo?" I called, feeling completely awkward in this tight space.

"You stuck?" he asked, amusement ringing in his voice.

"Yes," I added, shamelessly."Now get me out!" He broke out into hysterical laughter, but I heard the floor squeak as he moved. His big hands then grabbed my legs just above my knees, and pulled.

"OW!" I shouted. "You know I'm hooked right?"

"Well, then move farther in to unhook yourself."

"There's no more room for me to move in," I snapped, getting impatient. Cherry growled uncomfortably, and jumped off the bed, landing with a thud no the ground. Faithed mewed from her spot still on my dresser, but didn't move.

"Pull, but not so hard," I ordered.

"How about you use your arm to reach around and unhook yourself?" he suggest.

"I'm not a contortionist!" I huffed, but tried it anyways. My shoulder hurt as I felt around the top of y jeans trying to find the source of the problem.

"You find it yet?" Gonzo asked, letting go of my legs.

"No yet...Here." My belt loop was hooked on frame. With much effort, and a little discomfort, I managed to unhook it.

"Alright," I sighed in relief. "I-" Before I could finish, I was yanked out from under the bed. I heard a loud bang, and then pain shot through my legs as a huge weight fell on them.

"OW!" I cried in agony.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Gonzo pleaded, rolling to the side. "I pulled too hard, then I hit the wall, lost my balance...you okay?"

"First a head injury, now my legs," I groaned, hitting my forehead off the floor.

"Your fine," Gonzo insisted, helping me to sit up. "You've had much worse."

"Yeah, like you landing on me when you decided to canon-ball into my aunt's pool," I giggled.

"I told you, Kyle pushed me," he huffed. "It wasn't my fault."

"And you just _happened_ to land in a ball?" I asked accusingly.

"I had to do something to make it fun," he shrugged. It was then I noticed our positions. I was sitting between his sprawled legs, his one arm around my shoulders and the other on my knees.

"Uh..." I wasn't sure what to say, but thankfully Cherry intervened, nudging Gonzo with her bowl in her mouth.

"Ha, we could've let her get it to begin with," Gonzo laughed, letting me go. I got to my feet awkwardly, and let him feed her. That was....interesting..., I thought to myself, turning to my neglected kitten, who now stood on her hind paws, swiping at the air for my attention.

"Mew!" she squeaked.

"Yeah, yeah, I didn't forget about you," I smiled.

"We better get going to class now," Gonzo suggested, folding up the bag of food. "You have to get your book from your home room right?"

"Do I look like I keep books in my back packet?" I asked, pretending to pat myself down.

"Then let's get going before we're late," he suggested, giving Cherry a final pat. "Nice seeing you again girl." Cherry responded with a friendly nudge, and returned to her food. I had no choice but to bring Faith with me. I was afraid she'd end up being a little snack for Cherry later, and of the treatment I'd get if I left her behind.

"What room is Blood-sucking 101 in?" I asked, heading toward the stairs.

"You know its on your timetable right?" Gonzo asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Like I'm going to pull that thing out every few minutes," I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"It's in room 215."

"I tried climbing those stairs the first time around," I sighed, skipping down to the main floor. "Didn't turn out so well."

"I'm guessing thats how you got this?" he asked, lightly touching my bandaged head.

"Yup," I nodded. "Let's just hope that girl's not gonna be there the same time as me."

"Her name is Skyler," he corrected. "Don't tell me you're going to be rude to the others too."

"No, I'll be have," I smiled innocently. "As long as the Queen Bee keeps her distance, I'll keep my claws sheathed." He shook his head, but I could see the hint of a smile. Perhaps we could mend what we lost in that month and continue on as we use to. Or try at least....

* * *

AN: Check out my profile for a poll for the cover of Followed :3


	7. CHAPTER SEVEN

AN: Hope you guys are enjoying the story thus far. It's summer, so I can get a lot more written faster. :) This is also a reminder of the poll I have on my profile. It's for the cover of Followed, and yes, I will be making covers for these books.

_Also, two new characters are introduced, and they belong to my peeps XxXChiharu-Chan-1000-SpringsXx and Fireflies Glow._

_Yes, I have been introducing a lot of characters, and then not showing them, but they shall make more appearances as the story progresses. They are all key parts of the plot._

_And last, enjoy, and review please! :)_

CHAPTER _SEVEN_

Melinda

Blood-sucking 101. The class worst than ANY other I could've have ever imagined. This class makes History seem like a fricken theme park. OHMIGODDESS! This can't possibly be held as a credit! Like honestly? All of this is like common sense people! Well, they aren't really people, but yet they are, because they aren't human, so they're a type of people who are not humans. And when I say they, I guess I mean we, cause I am also a vampyre. Gr!

I didn't pay attention in class. While the High Priestess Cross Lady went on about something I had no interest in. I instead decided to write a note to Gonzo, who was thankfully sitting next to me. I used the little pencil that nearly poked out my eye first period.

_This class sucks_

I casually slid the paper in his directions. He looked down at it, and looked up at me, giving me a half smile. He used his black pen to write down a quick response and sent it back.

**Pun not intended?**

_Nope. Is she really for real? Teaching us about how animals react to us?_

**Well, we are different. We are the only animals besides bats who drink blood.**

_Mosquitos. You saying we're mosquitos?_

**No. :P**

_Well, I am NOT a bug. Bugs are gross._

**Grosser than being a Vampyre?**

_...Maybe..._

_NOT!_

**Kinda figured**

_So what are you doing when classes are done?_

**I'm helping Tonya set up for the meeting.**

_Doing the Queen Bee's bidding I see_

**She is my girlfriend**

_So whipped you are_

**Yes Master Yoda**

_Fall for her deception you must not. Trust in the Force my young Padawan._

**You do know you are the one who's younger right?**

_I am older experience-wise_

**And what experience do you have?**

_You'd be surprised ;) You have been gone for a month. Who knows what I've done in your absence?_

**You kiss anyone?**

_If I did, I wouldn't tell_

**You date anyone?**

_Maybe..._

**You 'do it' with anyone?**

_Hell no!_

**And there's the answer I was looking for. You haven't done much at all have you?**

_Besides visiting relatives, ignoring grouchy teachers, and slugging buttheads, no, not really. We have to go see a movie._

**Will you bug out if I ended up dragging Tonya with me?**

_She doesn't like you hanging out with other girls does she?_

**Not really**

_Controlling B-_

**Be nice**

_Don't scratch out my words_

**Watch me**

Gonzo took his pen and scratched it furiously across the paper, blotting out my writing.

"Hey!" I shouted, trying to steal the paper. He managed to grab both my hands in his one, and pin them down. I proceed to kick his chair, but it didn't even budge. He'd gotten a lot heavier.

"Stop scribbling my-!"

"A-HEM!"

Gonzo and I froze, and slowly in unison, our heads turned toward Cross Lady at the front of the class. She was giving us a disapproving look, like a mother catching her children tossing their vegetables in the garbage.

"What was the last thing I said Miss Bree?" She asked, tapping her nails on the desk.

"You said 'The animals that hates us the most are wild cats, such as lions, tigers and cheetahs,'" I recited, quoting her word for word. "'It is quite ironic because domesticated cats love us the most. It is because they are wild that makes other cats hate us. They feel threatened by our power and feel the need to-', and that's when we cut you off." The class was dead silent, and staring at me in complete shock. I even surprised myself. I could tell Cross Lady was actually quite impressed because a smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth, but she cleared her throat, and stood straighter.

"That is right, Miss Bree," she nodded. "I'd like to ask that you don't distract Greg anymore. He isn't able to multi-task as you can."

"Sure thing," I smiled, giving her an army salute. I heard Gonzo mumble under his breath, but he looked amused.

* * *

"Freedom!" I exclaimed, throwing myself out the door.

"There's still one period left genius," Gonzo laughed.

"But I'm freed of that mind melting room," I sighed, stretching. "Seriously, I thought I heard bubbling inside my head."

"It's important stuff though Lin," he said, walking down the hallway. "It's suppose to teach us about the changes our bodies are going through and how to deal with it. Also to prepare us for the lives we're going to lead once the Change is complete."

"I already know what I'm going to do," I sighed, being careful on the stairs. "I'm going to find a nice dark cave, and plan the deaths of people who taunted me growing up." Gonzo gave me this stern look, but I knew he knew I was kidding.

"Greg!" the voice made my spine writhered in pain.

"The Wiotch has arrived," I groaned.

"Be nice," he sighed, giving me a quick noogie. "Behave yourself the rest of the day."

"I have art next," I grinned. "What could I possible do with some pencils and a hot glue gun?"

"Behave," he laughed, heading off in the direction of his girlfriend's voice. _What _does_ he see in her?_ I asked myself, leaving the building.

"Mew!" My leg was attacked instantly by my favorite fur ball.

"Hi cutie," I smiled, picking her up. "Hey, maybe you can be my muse." She tilted her head at me curiously.

"Something I can draw," I laughed. "I'm not really good with it, but you never know. Maybe I can just makes some weird Picasso imitation. That'd be cool."

"Mew," she purred, rubbing her head against my neck.

* * *

Rhinestone looked like she would fit perfectly in the Art room. Paint had been splattered practically everywhere in beautiful chaos. There were tables and easels scattered everywhere, and people were already beginning to take their places. I headed over to one table, but stopped dead in my tracks. The Crazy Cat Girl was seated there, a pencil furiously making its way across her page. I turned to go to the next table, but decided against it yet again, because the Guitar Guy was lounging there. He too had a pencil, but had a thick sketch pad on his lap. I looked around awkwardly, trying to figure out where to go.

"Merry Meet Melinda Bree," a soft voice greeted. I turned calmly, to see a woman who was a full foot shorter than I was. She was a teacher, that was for certain. She had a filled in Mark, with Tatoos that made her look like a panda bear.

"Professor Panda I'm guessing?" I said.

"Yes," she smiled. "I'm so glad you decided to take art. Is there anything you are particularly interested in?"

"Um, not sketching," I replied, remembering my earlier fail.

"Maybe something with paints?" she suggested, motioning to the empty easels. "I've got any type of paint you can think of."

"I think I'll try it," I nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Panda smiled. "Just make sure not to get any on her beautiful fur." Panda ran her hand soft over Faith, who purred in response.

"I'll make sure," I said, heading over to an empty easel. There were already some paints set up in front of the empty canvas. Rows and rows of them. _Watercolors?_ I guessed, picking up the brush.

"Time to find my inner Van Gogh," I sighed, putting Faith on a nearby stool. She didn't object, but looked around displeased. A group of brushes of various sizes stuck out of a large cup of water on the table next to me, and I picked out a random one.

"Hmmm," I said thoughtfully. "Which color should I start with?"

"Mew," Faith replied, licking her paw.

"White, of course," I grinned, dabbing my brush into the white paint. It was kind of silly, the paint really didn't show on the white canvas. "Now some blue." I dipped my brush into the water, than into the lightest blue paint I had, and brushed it next to where I put the white paint. "Green...Red...Yellow...Purple..." I added these colors one by one, each on a different part of the page.

"What am I doing?" I huffed, blowing a piece of hair out of my face. "It doesn't even look like anything. Man, why don't they blend?" As if to answer, when I stroked my brush against the canvas again, the paints moved. It was barely noticeable, but I noticed. I watched memorized as my paintbrush lightly touched the canvas with my watercolors, and the colors blended, and swirled. I don't remember how long I actually sat there, but I was pulled out of my trance when Prof Panda tapped my shoulder.

"That is a...very intriguing painting Melinda," she said, examining from over my shoulder.

"Huh?" I asked, shaking my head. I was so fascinated with how the paints were blending at my will, that I hadn't realized what I was actually drawing. I sat back in my stool, and allowed my eyes to trail over the page.

"What the hell?" I whispered. The painting was just...so complex. It was like a a chaotic disaster created from soft colors. There were five large towers of earth; four made a box, and one stood in the middle, and on each tower was something different. One looked like it was crumbling from the dangerous winds that surrounded it, and the winds had gold symbols etched in it. Another looked like a giant geyser, with crystal water bursting out the top, and carving multiple rivers in its sides. The waters had sapphire symbols in it. The third was on fire that had bronze symbols. Powerful flames exploded from within the tower in all directions, nearly engulfing it. The fourth was larger, and surrounded by large thick vines and roots that bore jade symbols. The center tower stood calmly amongst the chaos the other towers were causing. There was a haze around it though, as if it were possessed by a ghost with amethyst symbols.

"I...I drew this?" I stammered, shocked by my own work.

"Yes, I've watched you," she nodded. "You were so focused, you didn't even notice the trouble we had with the squirrel."

"I...drew this," I repeated, not able to swallow it.

"You should enter it into the Art Show," Prof Panda beamed.

"Whoa, what?" I asked, giving her a weird look.

"We have an Art Show once a year at a local venue," she explained with a smile. "People come to look, and even buy some of the art work."

"You want me to sell this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "It only took me...what an hour?"

"Forty-five minutes actually," Prof Panda corrected.

"_Only_ forty-five minutes?" I gasped. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Maybe you have been gifted by the Goddess."

"Gifted?" I snorted. "Yeah, right."

"I'm sure you are," she smiled sweetly. "Many of us are."

"I doubt she'd gift me," I huffed, putting down my paintbrush. I just realized it was a different sized one from the one I started with. "So...what do I do with it?"

"I can hang it over here to dry," Prof Panda suggested.

"Sure," I nodded. I let her take the canvas and put it on the sill next to my stool to dry, and everyone's eyes in the room watched tentatively. I couldn't help but try to shrink away when they leaned toward each other to whisper about it and glance at me, but I didn't really care. They were just jealous of my raw talent. I made something in forty-five minutes that they couldn't in hours.

"Mew!" Faith yawned, stretching from her perch on the chair.

"You fall asleep?" I laughed lightly, scratching her head. "I'm sorry. I don't really know what came over me." She nuzzled my hand forgivingly.

"How about I try this 'Gift' by painting you?" I suggested. "But this time we try normal paints."

"Mew!" She chimed, sitting up properly.

"Okay," I smiled, picking up a brush, and dipping it into normal paints. This picture wasn't as successful as the first. It was a white smudge on blue background with lopsided eyes.

"Yeesh," I blinked, grimacing. "That didn't turn out too good." Faith made a face at me, and turned around to groom herself.

"You're welcome," I muttered, picking up the painting to trash it. As I made my way across the classroom, I was given weird glances. The kids leaned over to whisper to each other, and some even motioned toward my painting. _Is it that odd to paint something great?_, I asked silently. I dropped the canvas in the garbage, and turned to return to my stool when I could hear some guy mumbling right beside me.

"Something you want to share with the class Junior?" I asked, giving him an evil glare. He instantly shut up and shook his head. "Good." I said, marching over to my stool. I then noticed Guitar Guy standing next to my stool, looking over my painting on the wall. I slowed down to a stop just behind him, not sure what to say._ Is he gonna bag on it?,_ I thought._ Or perhaps he's captivated by it? Maybe even impressed that I'm good in more than one art form. Just keep your cool_, I instructed, taking in a slow breath.

"See something you like?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. This startled him, and he quickly turned around, looking a little guilty.

"Just looking," he muttered.

"And what do you think?" I asked, my eyes no longer able to hold his gaze. I instead looked over at my chaotic masterpiece.

"Well, it is interesting," he shrugged, turning to look at it as well.

"You're telling me," I laughed. "Didn't think I had it in me."

"You're gifted," he replied bluntly.

"That's what Prof Panada said, but I think it was just a fluke," I shrugged. "The painting I did of Faith was horrible."

"You're not gifted with painting," he said quietly. I tried to get a look at his face, but most of his hair was covering it. I did get a glimpse of his eye however, and it looked glazed over.

"Then what _am_ I gifted with?" I asked in the same volume of voice. Something in him shook, and startling me, and I took a hasty step back.

"S-sorry," he stammered not looking at me. He quickly moved away from me and back to the table he was sitting at. My heart was pounding, confused on what had just happened. _At least he didn't want to kill me,_ I thought.

* * *

"You came!" Amethyst cheered. Just like I had promised, I had come to the stables after class to check if she were still in one piece.

"Of course," I smiled. "So why'd she drag you away?"

"She wouldn't believe me that I was Chinese, and not Japanese," she pouted. "So she dragged me to see if I had Manga in my room. Which I didn't, because I left them all at home."

"Why'd you leave them at home?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Because I was too obsessed," she sighed. "My mom said I should take a break from it, and leave all my managa related items at home, which I did sadly."

"Ah," I nodded, patting her on the back. "Well, let's not talk about it, and go get some dinner."

"We can't yet," she said, making a face. "We have to go to the Ritual first."

"That's _now_," I groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope," she said, shaking her head. "It's now. We get fed afterward."

"That's just torture man," I complained, holding my stomach.

"Lunch was only a couple hours ago," Amethyst said, making a face. "How can you be hungry so soon."

"This is me, Amethyst," I sighed. "I live off of eating."

"Why don't you call me Amethyst-Chan?" she asked

"It's better than 'Amy' isn't it?" I shrugged.

"Yeah it is," she nodded, "but it's my name."

"Not a fan of nicknames?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Not really sure."

"Well, it's also better than my nicknames for other people," I smiled. "Like Crazy Cat Girl, Guitar Guy, Prof Panda, Cross Lady..."

"You call the High Priestess 'Cross Lady'?" she gasped in surprise.

"Not to her face," I laughed. "I would never do that."

"But still...," her voice trailed off.

"Don't worry," I reassured her, patting her shoulder. "I show my respect for my elders. Especially highly powered ones."

"She has an affinity for spirit," Amethyst smiled in admiration. "It would be so cool to have an affinity."

"What's spirit?" I asked.

"It's the fifth element of course," she replied. "It lies in the center of the Circle, while he other four elements are on the four corners."

"Like a compass?" I asked slowly, something clicking in my head.

"Yes," she nodded with a big smile. "Each element is actually located on each direction. East is air, south is fire, west is water, north is earth, and spirit is the center." Something inside me went cold when I imagined it._ Just like in the painting..._, I thought, imagining the painting that was drying on the shelf. _No wonder Prof Panda was fascinated by it. It represents a Circle casting...But I doubt that there are mounts involved._

"Hello?" Amethyst asked, waving her hand in my face.

"O-oh sorry," I muttered, shaking myself mentally. "Zoned out there."

"You really don't like all this," she said, looking sad.

"Don't worry, its just this whole turning-into-something-I-hate thing," I shrugged. "And having to follow their rules and ways of life just isn't helping."

"Well, when you make it through the Change you're free to do what you want," she pointed out.

"And here's to the next 4 years of hell," I smiled. This got her to smile a little. There was a small line up outside of the Temple when we arrived. I had expected everyone to be inside, especially at the pace we had been walking at.

"Why are they lined up outside?" I asked, making a face.

"Well, everyone gets a pentagram traced on their forehead, and you have say 'blessed be' when they say it to you," she explained.

"They have to do that for every kid?" I asked, making a face.

"That's how it works," chimed the girl on the step in front of us. I looked up and blinked at her. "And then we all get in a large circle around this table with offerings and a statue of the Goddess. And then as a poem is recited, the High Priestess dances around the circle, then she calls-"

"She can experience it for herself Ophelia," snapped the girl above her.

"Aw, but I like explain things I know," she pouted.

"Well can it," she snapped again. "We're about to enter, and I'm trying to feel my zen."

"Sorry about her," the girl closest to us whispered. "She's a control freak." I blinked again at the characters before me. The girl right in front of me had ringlety blond hair that just passed her shoulders and blue eyes, and looked uber bubbly: the stereotypical dumb blonde. The girl above her had dark brown hair that flowed down to her mid-back, and styled in a very fancy fashion that framed her face and dull green eyes. She had a ton of make up on too, so that plus her fancy hair led me to the conclusion of snotty biotch, just like Tonya. Perhaps they knew each other?

"I'm Ophelia Hollow," the blonde grinned, holding out her hand. "I'm a Fourth Former."

"And I'm tired of hearing you talk," the brunette glared.

"That's Leilani Almirah," Ophelia continued ignoring her. "These rituals are the only time that she is actually calm and nice.

"Ritual hasn't started yet," Leilani said with attitude. "Nice girl still not here."

"She better hurry up if she doesn't want to be late," Ophelia gasped, looking around anxiously. Leilani shook her head, and grabbed her arm.

"Come no bubble brain," she growled, dragging her into the temple. Amethyst and I stood there staring blankly after them.

"The classic dumb blonde and snotty bitch," I observed. "You draw the same conclusion?"

"Uh...pretty much," she nodded.

"Alright, let's get this done and over with," I sighed, climbing up the steps. The foyer was filled with incense, which made me gag. I hated the smell of incense. Gonzo tried burning some of his cousin's in his room once. I wasn't sure what the scent was suppose to be, but it just totally ruined any possible love I could have for them. The scent reeked, and it filled his entire room. I sprayed like half a bottle of Febreeze, and the smell was still there. We left the windows open and went for a very long walk before we went back inside. I did my best to hold my breath as I followed the line throughout the temple, but it still got to me.

I remained the whole time, thinking over my painting again, and the system of casting a circle that Amethyst had explained to me._ How could I know?_, I thought. _I obviously didn't, but how could I paint something that had to do with the Goddess without even knowing about it? I know nothing of the Goddess. I really don't want to know anything, but that's impossible now that I live here. Did she really gift me...?_

"Blessed be," Amethyst said in front of me. I finally realized that we had made it to a large arched doorway, where a vampyre woman with long silver hair held in two ponytails stood with a stone bowl. To my utter surprise, Amethyst just smiled at me and hurried through the doorway, leaving me alone with this woman. I stood their awkwardly, not sure what do do.

"Merry meet, Melinda Bree," she smiled sweetly, her voice thick with an African accent. "Come, step forward." I sucked in a sharp breath and stepped forward. Her eyes were a shiny silver, just like her hair, but her skin was a rich color showing her African decent. Her tattoos looked weird. They looked like cloud, but they also looked like rocks. I couldn't distinguish which it looked like more.

"Place your right hand over your heart," she instructed, dipping her finger into the bowl.

"That reminds me of that Holy Water in Church," I said, doing as she instructed.

"Yes, it does," she nodded, drawing a shape on my forehead, "but it is oil, and not Holy Water. Welcome to the House of Night, and your new life. Blessed be."

"Blessed be," I replied, quickly removing my hand. "Um, what's your name?"

"You may call me Gaia," she smiled.

"Like the Titan personification of Earth?" I asked.

"You know your Greek mythology," she smiled with amusement.

"Old hobby," I shrugged. "So, do I go in now?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I hope you enjoy it."

"Thanks," I replied hesitantly, entering the room._ Yeah right_, I thought.

"This way," Amethyst waved over, waiting for me not too far from the entrance. "There's a spot over here." I followed slowly behind Amethyst, making sure not to run into anyone when someone grabbed my arm. I turned around to see Taryn.

"Hey," she grinned widely. "Mind if I stand next to you?"

"Uh, sure," I shrugged, looking over at my roomie. She shrugged too, but I could see a wary look on her face. The three of us took our spots, in the crowd, and I could see into the center of the circle perfectly. There was a large table, like in the dining hall, covered with food, but it also had a statue of Nyx, just like Ophelia had said. Curiously, I looked around the circle, wanting to see if I could find Gonzo. To my dismay, I found Tonya first, and she was standing with her side pressed into Gonzo's. _What does he see in her?,_ I asked silently._ I hope I see it soon, and if not, I'm gonna have to talk to him._

"When the High Priestess evokes each element, we have to face that direction," Amethyst instructed.

"Evoke?" I gasped. "What are we doing? Summoning demons?"

"Oh I wish," Taryn smiled with a sharp glint in her eye. "That would be so cool."

"Summoning demons is dangerous," Amethyst gasped. "How could you-"

"Hey Amethyst-Chan," someone said from her other side. It was Raphael.

"Oh hey," she smiled friendly.

"Is that her boyfriend?" Taryn asked in a voice only I could hear.

"He wishes," I replied. The room was hushed with movements from the edges of the room. In unison, four people moved to just inside the circle, evenly spaced out just like a compass. I recognized Rhinestone as one of them, and another was Gaia, but I couldn't name the other two ladies.

"East is first," Amethyst whispered, turning back to me. Two more figures appeared in the doorway that we had just entered. I watched in curiosity as the sound of a violin filled the air.

"That's Professor Volante playing," Taryn said, her eyes watching the taller of the two figures. "He plays music while the the High Priestess dances." The shorter woman had begun to sway with the music. I recognized Cross Lady's long blonde hair, as it swayed in the glinting candlelight.

_Unexpected change comes to thee tonight my child_

_But do not fear the darkness and sleep..._

"That's Professor Yuzki," Amethyst whispered. "She's the Vampyre Poem Laureate."

"And she's Japanese," Taryn gushed, earning a glare from Amethyst. Yuzuki's voice was so beautiful. It responded well with the bitter-sweat cry of the violin, as if an answer to its plea. Cross Lady now left her side, and made her way around the circle, moving gracefully in each step of her dance. Professor Yuzuki was slowly making her way to the center of the circle.

_Our Goddess calls to you, to fulfill your purpose_

_Your eternal promise you must keep..._

For a vampyre ritual, I had to say it was intriguing(I will never admit it to Gonzo). It was different from the sacrificial image I had in my head. It was beautiful how they blended the music, the dancing _and_ the poem.

_Awaken once more, reborn again_

_With your new found gifts that are far from cheap._

I didn't even realize it, but both Cross Lady and Professor Yuzuki made it to the center of the circle at the same time. Cross Lady then lifted a goblet from the table, and lifted it above her head.

"Welcome Nyx's children to the Goddess's celebration of the full moon!" she spoke strongly.

"Merry meet," all the adult vampyres replied.

"Were we suppose to say that too?" I asked curiously. Amethyst shook her head in response.

"But we gotta turn to the East now," Taryn whispered as Cross Lady walked to Rhinestone, who put a fist over her heart and turned her back on her. I guessed that was East, and turned in that direction along with everyone else. _This is kind of lame now_, I thought, my good impressions of ritual fading.

"I summon air from the east, asking you to gift this circle with knowledge and fill it with learning." Rhinestone pulled out a yellow candle from the folds of her fluffy robe, and held it out for Cross Lady to light it with a taper. The candle flickered as Rhinestone put it down on the floor at her feet, and Cross Lady moved around the circle to the next vampire, and everyone turned to face the south. I saw Amethyst shake her head, and hesitate as she turned. I gave her a questioning look, and she only shook her head.

"I summon fire from the south, asking you to gift this circle with strength of will and bind it." My back was to her, so I couldn't see her light the candle, but I could tell she did, because everyone turned to the west._ Lame, lame, lame, lame, lame_, I groaned silently, wishing I could be somewhere else.

"I summon water from the west, asking you to gift this circle with compassion, and bestow healing and understanding," she spoke, lighting the blue candle in the next vampire's hand. She lifted it up, and then placed it on the floor, and that's when I was overcome by the strong smell of salt. I gasped slightly, trying to catch my breath. It felt like the floor had instantly turned to water, and the waves splashed lightly up my legs. _Is this suppose to happen...?, _I wondered looking around, but no one seemed to be feeling anything, but Taryn was eying me strangely. I felt myself being drawn to the center of the circle, as if I had to go, but I resisted, not wanting to draw attention to myself.

"I summon earth from the north, asking you to gift this circle with manifestation, so that any prayers and wishes will be fulfilled." To my dismay the feeling of water disappeared, and I was left with nothing. _What was that...?, _I wondered, not paying attention to what Cross Lady was doing._ First the painting, and now that...That tracker, and this Goddess have effed me up. I should seek revenge. Yeah, maybe I should track down the tracker. The tracker shall become the tracked. _While I was plotting evil plans in my head, Cross Lady continued on with the ritual.

"Lastly, I summon spirit to complete the circle, and gift us with connection, so we may prosper together." I honestly zoned out after that, and stared down at the floor, lost in my thoughts. Thoughts of finding the tracker, of what I was going to do, but not of how I was going to find him. Thoughts of messing up Tonya, and getting her away from my Gonzo, but not of how I was going to do it without upsetting him. Thoughts of my life after I made it through the Change, and of how I would never commune with anyone in this society again, except Gonzo, but not of how I would avoid them, especially at night. I snapped out of it when I received a nudge from Amethyst, who gave me a scolding look.

"Close your eyes, Children of Nyx," Cross Lady smiled. "Send up a message to Nyx, ask her a silent desire. Tonight, the veil between the worlds is thin, and perhaps Nyx will grant your dreams or reply." _Great, this really is like church now_, I thought seeing everyone close their eyes. _Oh I have a message_, I thought, closing mine as well. _But it's not a request, well I guess it is, but its nothing for my personal stake, 'cause I don't need anything from you, but proof. I wasn't really one for believing in the high and mighty of the People of Faith, and I'm not gonna believe in you either, because I have no proof. You give me some, and I just might start believing...probably not, cause as you should know since you are all big and important, that I don't like anything vamp related. I guess I do have a question for you then. Why me? Why choose someone who hates your kind? Ack, look at me. I'm gonna stop before I get into a fight with the tooth fairy now_. I opened my eyes, and watched the rest of them send their silent prayers up to their deity.

I could've laughed at them, but I saw someone staring at me, and the air was caught in my throat. Guitar Guy was staring at me from across the circle. His hair covered one of his eyes, but the other stared intently at me, locking me in his blazing blue gaze. Blue seemed to be my color. The blue candle, now his blue eye...but why was he staring at me? My mouth went dry, and my heart was skipping beats, when his gaze suddenly softened, but didn't pull away, even after Cross Lady started some long sermon thing. It didn't really matter, I never payed attention to sermons in Church, and I wasn't going to start. I kept on staring back, until he finally looked away, and I realized that the whole room had said something in unison, and started moving toward the exit.

"Wh-what happened?" I asked, looking around, confused.

"You fell asleep with your eyes open didn't you?" Amethyst said, looking disappointed.

"That's talent," Taryn grinned.

"N-no," I stammered. "I didn't..." I tried to find Vince in the crowd, but he was already gone. What's his deal?, I wondered silently. That staring was kind of creepy...

"This way to food Mel," Taryn grinned, grabbing my arm.

"Mind if I join you guys?" Raphael asked sheepishly.

"Of course not," I smiled. _Well, I survived my first ritual_, I thought, _and I don't even remember half of it. I had a weird enchantment with water, and then I was stared at by the guy who I thought would want to seek revenge upon. Not to mention I made that weird painting. This place is messed up._


	8. CHAPTER EIGHT

_AN: Yaaay, another chapter up! ^.^ Hope you likey. And I did some editing, but I think I might have missed some. Hopefully it's not too bad. Please Review when you finish reading it. I appreciate it very much._

CHAPTER _EIGHT_

Melinda

"At least they have something with more flavor this meal," I grinned, helping myself to some spaghetti.

"They usually do for dinner," Taryn nodded, piling her plate and drowning it with Parmesan cheese.

"You're killing it man," I gasped. "What you do is you lightly sprinkle it in the middle, and then surround it with a mote of Parmesan." I demonstrated what I meant on my own plate.

"Nah, I like it totally covered," she beamed.

"I like the vegetarian spaghetti the best," Amethyst spoke up.

"Yeah, its got mushrooms, and onions, and green peppers," Raphael agreed.

"Then why do you have meat spaghetti on your plate?" Taryn asked, looking at him weirdly.

"I-I mixing them both," he grinned nervously. "I still like meat in it." He quickly poured some of the vegetarian on his plate before we shuffled down the line to grab some garlic bread.

"Alright, where do you think Gonzo's sitting?" I asked, looking around the room.

"Your boyfriend?" Taryn asked, shoving a slice of garlic bred in her mouth.

"No, no, that's my _best_ friend," I laughed lightly.

"He's probably at the Dark Daughter meeting," Amethyst said. "He is Tonya's boyfriend, so he's probably there with her."

"Ah...," I nodded, nawing on my own slice of bread.

"Melinda!" I jumped back at the sound of that voice, and hid behind Amethyst.

"You aren't going to knock me down invisible steps now are you?" I asked the girl approaching us.

"No, not anymore sorry," Skylar smiled nervously. "I was wondering if you guys would like to sit with us."

"Isn't your table filled with your possy?" Taryn asked, giving her an evil look.

"No, half of them are at the Dark Daughter's meeting," she shrugged. "Only me, Destiny, Zach and Vince aren't in it."

"So not all of you do the Queen Bee's bidding?" I asked, lifting my eyebrow with interest.

"Um...I guess not," she replied nervously. "So would you like to?" She looked at us expectantly. I looked around at the other three for their input, but I couldn't help but feel warning bells go off at the mention of Guitar Guy's name.

"Doesn't matter to me," Raphael shrugged, sticking close to Amethyst._ He soooo likes her_, I thought with amusement. _Why doesn't she see it?_

"Don't matter really," Amethyst said, looking down at the floor nervously.

"Sure," Taryn grinned suddenly. "What do you say Mel?" _No 'cause Guitar Guy is creeping me out now_, I thought._ First his comment about me not being gifted with painting, and then him staring at me at the Ritual._

"Why not," I smiled, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Great," Skyler grinned. "This way." She lead the four of us to a booth along the wall, where only two other people were sitting. And to my relief, Guitar Guy wasn't there.

"Where's Vince," Skylar asked.

"He didn't say," Destiny shrugged. "He never says. Just walks away like he always does. You know he only ever talks to you."

"Yeah," she sighed, looking disappointed. "You guys can sit here." She motioned to the seats on the opposite side of Destiny and Zach as she slid in next to them. Taryn slid in first, then me after her, and Amethyst.

"I'll pull up a chair," Raphael said, realizing both sides were filled.

"Sorry, I didn't realize," Skyler apologized.

"No it's okay," he said, pulling up a chair to the end.

"So," Zach smiled, looking at the people across from him. "I've met Melinda briefly, but don't know you guys. Third Formers I'm guessing?"

"Fourth," Raphael said, raising his fork before stabbing his food with it.

"Same with me. I'm Taryn, and that's Amy," Taryn nodded, shoving her face with food.

"Amethyst-Chan," she corrected, sounding irritated.

"How'd you enjoy your first day here?" Destiny asked, turning her attention to Melinda.

"Interesting," she nodded, thinking of everything that happened.

"When are you going to take off that bandage?" Skyler asked.

"Tonight probably," I shrugged. "I actually forgot I was wearing. Maybe I should leave it on, and it can be my signature. You know like Sailor Moon has those meatballs, and is called Meatballhead? Maybe I can be called Hazard." I swear, if it weren't for the other people in the room, you would've heard crickets. I only got a light chuckle from Taryn, and that was about it. _Gonzo would've laughed_, I thought.

"Tough crowd," I said aloud.

"I got what you meant, but I didn't get the 'hazard' part," Skyler said.

"It means that she gets hurt a lot," Destiny explained.

"Not funny anymore," I mumbled, poking at my food.

"I don't think they thought it was to begin with," Taryn whispered.

"How long have you known Greg?" Zach asked, before eating a forkful of food.

"Kindergarten," I replied, playing with my food. "We've been close friend since."

"When Tonya's not around he talks about you a lot," Destiny smiled. "You must be his closest friend."

"Of course," I chuckled lightly. "When he gets married I'll be his best man. All we've ever had was each other. Well, now he's got more friends since he's been Changed, but the Best Man spot is mine."

"Have you ever thought of being the bride instead?" Skyler asked, eyes sparkling.

"There was a small phase in grade 2 where we played house, and I was the mommy, and he was the daddy, but that's about it," I shrugged. "I can't really see us getting married..." _That's such a lie_, I thought, thinking about my bride phase in grade 7. I had planned out my entire wedding, from flowers, to my dress, to who I would invite and who I would seat at each table. And every time I tried imagining the groom, Gonzo was the one waiting at the end of the isle. _That'll never happen_, I thought, shaking myself mentally. _We're only bent to be friends, besides, he's got Tonya._ I scowled at the thought of her name, and stabbed my plate.

"I'm never getting married," Taryn spoke up. "If I do, my wedding is gonna look more like a funeral, 'case everything is gonna be black. But I'd like a red corset for my dress..."

"I don't even want to think of my adult life yet," Destiny huffed with a smile. "I'm just going to enjoy my adolescence while I can."

"I can see myself at the alter waiting for you," Zack grinned, putting his arm around her.

"Aw," Skyler gushed, making Destiny blush. I held back a gag. I was happy for them and all, but now just wasn't a time for thinking about romance. Now was a time to make sure my food got down to my stomach. I had noticed Raphael hadn't said much, and glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He was eating his food tentatively, but he kept glancing at Amethyst. _I know who he sees in a white dress_, I thought in amusement.

"Oh Vince, you're back," Skyler said brightly. I stared down at my plate, my heart pounding.

"You can pull up a seat," Raphael said, scooting his chair over, closer to Amethyst.

"He always stands," Skyler replied on his behalf.

"So he doesn't talk unless it's to you huh?" Taryn asked, as if he weren't standing there. He talked to me, I thought, remembering art class.

"We were friends before we were Changed, like Melinda and Greg," she replied, sounding overly cheery. "Except, we were changed the same day, which worked out great."

"I'm done eating," I announced. "I wanna go feed Cherry."

"Who's Cherry?" Taryn asked, leaning closer to me with interest. "Is that your cat?"

"No, it's her big dog," Amethyst replied.

"You brought a dog?" Destiny gasped. "And they let you?"

"She only stays in her room," I said defensively. "And I can do what ever I please. No blood-sucking teacher can tell me otherwise."

"Melinda!" Amethyst gasped in surprise, which reflected how the others were looking at me.

"Just let me out," I snapped, glaring at her. She was hesitantly, but she slid out of the booth, and I pulled myself out, leaving my tray behind, and not glancing at Vince at all.

* * *

I didn't see Faith at all, so I assumed she was off having fun with her other kitty friends. I did get a warm welcome from Cherry when I opened the door. She got up on her hind legs and gave me loving kisses.

"Yes, yes, I'm here," I sighed, scratching her head. The bowl of food I had left her was still half full, so I decided against refiling it. I went into the bathroom to observe my damaged head. I carefully unwrapped the bandage, and looked closely for marks. I couldn't see any, but there was dried blod on my scalp and in my hair. I felt to lazy to take a shower, so I left it as it was. Instead I plopped down on my bed, staring up at the blank ceiling. Cherry jumped up beside me, and settled herself against me, her body fitting perfectly into my side.

"Sorry to have kept you up here all day," I sighed, rubbing her head. "I promise to take you for a walk tomorrow. There's no ritual, and I'll have more time. If Gonzo isn't busy following the Queen Bee around maybe he'll come too." She blew out in response, and closed her eyes. Good call, I thought closing mine as well. I needed some good rest after everything I had experienced today. Hitting my head, that freaky painting, Vince's weird attitude, the mystical feeling at the Ritual. I couldn't wait for the day to be over.

It didn't take long for me to fall asleep. At least I thought I was. I was standing in an open field, so I must have been...but it felt so real. I was dressed in nothing but thin blue fabric that was practically see-through. It whipped around in the wind as it flew past me, blowing my hair in every direction. I tried to take a step forward, but couldn't. I looked down, and my feet were held down by some sort of medal, and my hands were chained to those same chunks. I tried looking over my shoulder to see if their was anyone around, but it refused to move the direction I wanted it to. I could only move my head up and down. Panicked, I pulled against my restraints, feeling pain shoot up my arms, but stopped when I hear familiar words being recited by a magical voice.

_Unexpected change comes to thee tonight my child_

_But do not fear the darkness and sleep_

_Your Goddess calls to you, to fulfil your purpose_

_Your eternal promise you must keep_

_Awaken once more, reborn again_

_With your new found gifts that are far from cheap._

It was the poem that was recited at the Ritual, but how could I remember the exact words? The wind stopped dead around me, and I was left with the sound of my heavy breathing, and a soft rustling in the grass behind me.

"_Child of air, so pure and free, as your Goddess I bless thee_," the same calm, serene voice spoke. "_In the fight to come, I ask you to be brave, and in the minds of others, your knowledge pave._" Before I thought of this as a normal Ritual, an ear-piercing scream filled the air, causing me to shake in fear.

"Oh, god no," I shouted, trying to pull free. _We`re being sacrofoced._

"Let us go!" another voice screamed. I couldn't recognize it in my panic, but I heard another rustling in the grass.

"No, no, no!" A girl cried, the sounds of her struggle not loud enough to drown out the words to follow.

"_Fire's heir, so fierce and bold, I gift you the freedom of truth to hold. Give courage to the strong, and hope to those who are not, but remember to feed them determination for things they once sought._" The scream that came next was much closer to than the other: just to my left. _Oh God_, I thought, as I heard rustling in the grass that ended right behind me._ I'm next... _A soft hand touched my head, and I instantly felt myself go limp in relaxation, but was kept standing.

"_Gentle, and loving this child of water may be, but I ask you to show truth even if it hurts thee_," she spoke softly, stroking my hair, her other hand trailing up my back. "_Heal not only the body, but the mind. Be more than stable and wise, but be kind._" Her hand gripped my neck so hard that I couldn't help but scream out in pain, but then it was suddenly over. I was on the ground, looking like an awkward corpse, my eyes blank and lifeless. Blinking in confusion, I looked up and saw two other bodies laying as dead as I was, and both had a spirit floating above it. One looked like a puff of cloud, the other a flame. I looked down at myself, and I was made entirely of water. _What the hell?_ I thought, patting myself down, and I felt solid enough.

"_Earth's beacon, strong and sure, stand strong, but flow with change for cure._" I watched as she stroked the girls hair as she had mine, and grip her neck. "_Head my warnings, and save our dreams, use help when needed, even if easy it seems._" It wasn't so much that she snapped her neck, but her grip on her neck was very hard, even for only a split second, and the girl's body fell to the ground in a heap, and from her body rose a rm of rock and earth. The bright, flowing woman then moved toward the centre, where someone stood completely covered by an an extremely large, black cloak.

"_And last, Spirit is given time to fly, unite these four and do, not try_." She slowly walked around the person, raising her hands above her head. "_To you my child, a precious gift I give, not of feeling or trust, but to live." _Her hands touched the person's shoulder only for a second, and the black cloak fell to the ground, and from it rose pure spirit, only the outline of the form flickered.

"_At last you are free,"_ she smiled, looking at us in each in turn. I couldn't even begin to describe what she looked like. She was so beautiful, so elegant, so powerful, yet so peaceful. "_I will be watching, and I pray you will help my children in the hardships to come. Now go, and may peace follow you."_ What I felt next was anything but peaceful. I felt like I was caving in on myself, as if my watered body was filling up my lungs, and I couldn't breath. I fell to the ground, and I felt myself fall apart, as if I were shattering into a million pieces. I couldn't find my arms, my legs, or my head. _Help!_, I wanted to scream. _Someone help me!_ But nothing came out.

* * *

I managed to finally take in a large amount of air, and when I let it out, it was a scream. A scream of pain, a scream of fear, and a scream of relief. I could feel myself again, I was whole, but I was drenched with sweat. I could hear another scream out of tune with mine, accompanied by frantic barks. I ran out of air, and took in another deep breath, flinging my eyes open. I was in my room...the room I shared with Amethyst, but it was a complete disaster. My ears rang as I looked at the damage. It wasn't just me, but my bed, the floor, and even Cherry that was drenched. It looked like a tornado of water had flew the room, knocking everything over except for my bed and Amethyst's. Cherry was still barking in panic, running around the room, leaping over things on the floor.

"OHMIGODDES!" Amethyst screamed from beside me. I looked over, my hear racing, and my head throbbing. She was wet too, her hair stuck to her face, but that's not what was shocking. Her arms, her neck, and her legs were covered with golden markings.

"What happened to you?" I demanded, swinging my feet over the side of bed, meeting a soggy carpet.

"Me?" she squealed. "Look at _you!_" I did. I lifted my hands, turning them over and gasped. My arms looked like someone took a paintbrush, dipped it into soft, light sapphire paint and drew all over me. My hands, my shoulders, my chest, my stomach, my back, my legs, everything was was painted with markings of grace. Amethyst was looking at herself too, covered in gold markings in all the same places as I was.

"Oh my Goddess I'm topless!" I gasped, grabbing my blankets and covering myself up. My face burned when I saw my shirt, my pants and bra were at the other side of the room. I at least had my underwear on. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know," Amethyst gasped, tears streaming down her face. She was only in her bra and underwear, but didn't seem to notice. "I-I thought I was going to die."

"It's okay," I whispered, wrapping ad dripping wet blanket around my abdomen, and sat down beside her. "You're okay. We're okay. Everything is going to be fine."

"You don't understand," she sobbed, uncontrollably, covering her face with her hands. "My neck was snapped! A-and I was floating above my body! I then felt like I was being suffocated, the air taken away form me and I couldn't breath! It was so scary." I blinked at her in amazement, visions of my dream flashing in my head.

"Were you...in a circle?" I asked hesitantly, rubbing her back. She sniffed, and looked up at me bewildered.

"H-how'd you know?" she asked, her eyes searching mine for an answer.

"I had the same dream...," I said quietly, spooked by this crazy coincidence. "But I was water."

"I was air...," she whispered, then blink her hand was on my forehead, pushing my hair away.

"Like ow," I snapped, wincing.

"You're Mark," she gasped, staring at me in horror. "It's gone!"

"No way," I shouted, running to the bathroom, nearly tripping over the blanket, and the stuff on the floor. Cherry had run inside and sat in the tub, whining when I came in. I ignored her, and stared at myself in the mirror. I pulled my hair behind my ears, transfixed with what I saw. There was no half-moon Mark on my forehead anymore. It was replaced with a pair of wings made of water, and from it sprung the marks that trailed down my face, looped around my neck, and spread out to the rest of my body. Amethyst staggered into the room, and stared at herself.

"Holy crap," she breathed quietly, staring at herself. She had a pair of wings on her forehead that looked like two gusts of wind, and spread over her whole body like mine. I wasn't sure how long we stood their, staring at ourselves and each other, but it seemed short lived when a series of screams could be heard in all directions.

"What was that?" Amethyst panicked.

"More chaos," I said, grabbing a towel and handing it to her. She was shivering. From cold or fear, I didn't know. We were about to leave when the door to our dorm flew open, and two teachers flooded in.

"By the Goddess," Cross Lady gasped, surveying the damage.

"High Priestess," Amethyst said quietly, carefully stepping out of the bathroom. They all turned and stared at us, completely shocked to find use there half naked and wrapped up with weird Marks to boot.

"So it has begun," Vonlante said from her side.

"Melinda Bree, come with me," Cross Lady said gently, holding her hand out for me.

"What about Amethyst?" I asked, stepping back.

"Volante will take her to the infirmary where she'll be looked after, but you must come with me right away," she said hastily, her eyes filled with worry.

"No," I said shaking my head. "I don't have to do-"

"If you don't there will be many lives taken," Volante snapped, his eyes blazing with fury. "Now do as your High Priestess says." I had the urge to defy him, or yell at him, but it was dulled down by the urgency of the situation. I could hear girls screaming, running down the hall, and for some reason it was getting very hot.

"Take Cherry with you," I said firmly, trying to sound civil. "She's in the tub." Volante nodded, and slipped past us to retrieve my dog. I looked at Amethyst, who gave me a reassuring nod, and I took Cross Lady's hand and let her lead me outside.

I was met by a wave of heat, and the sound of a raging fire. Bewildered by what was going on, I didn't even notice Cross Lady leading me away and up a flight of stairs to the third floor. The heat intensified, and we met a couple fear-struck girls along the way, who Cross Lady calmed with just a light touch. The heat was just about unbearable when we finally made it to the top. The fire had consumed almost half of the hallway, and it was crumbling away to ashes.

"What do you want me to do?" I shouted over the crackling of burning wood.

"There's a girl trapped at the centre of the fire," she replied, not having to raise her voice. "She's the source of all this, and if you can get to her, you can stop the fire from spreading."

"How the hell am I suppose to do that?" I demanded, sweat making my hair stick to my face again.

"You are Water," she said firmly, looking me square in the eye. "You are the only one who can calm Fire. It has been so for centuries."

"I can't calm nothing sister," I snapped, mostly out of fear. "I only spark people's anger, I don't calm people down, it'd take away the fun."

"Do you think this is fun?" she asked, thrusting her hand out toward the crumbling hall. "You have to stop her Melinda Bree. If you don't this could spread to the other buildings, and it will. Nothing can stop Fire but Water."

"Why are you saying it as if they're names?"

"Because they are," she said with a small smile. "Believe it or not Melinda Bree, but you are the reincarnate of Water." I stared at her in disbelief. She's crazy, I thought. She's a bat. There's no way any of this can be true, none of it. I'm just a person who was unfortunate turned into a bloodsucker, end of story...but that did explain the water colour painting...and what happened at the ritual...and that crazy dream. I shook my head in confusion, tears springing up.

"I will explain everything to you later," Cross Lady said firmly, grabbing my shoulders. "Right now, you have to stop her or she'll destroy this House of Night, and possible other students." I swallowed a huge lump in my throat, and looked down the hall, my eyes stinging.

"She's in the room right on the end," Cross Lady said, tearing the blanket I had around me so that I could walk better, and she tied it tightly. "I know you can do this." That makes one of us, I thought, hesitant to move. I heard a voice in the back of my head urging me on. I didn't know who it sounded like, but I listened to it, and moved forward.

I gritted my teeth at how hot it got as I moved, wishing I could run away.. _Why the end?_, I asked silently. _Why not midway? It's always gotta be the end of something._ I felt like I was melting by the time I reached the door that was blazing on its hinges, but stood firm between me and my objective. I reached for the door handle, and yanked it away when it sent a jolt of pain up my arm. Cradling it, I looked down at the burn.

"Damn this," I growled, ready to turn around, but stopped. Over my burn, it looked like threads of water laced over it, making it disappear and create new skin. I stared in astonishment, turning my hand over to make sure it was real.

"Holy shit," I breathed, looking at the handle. "Guess I have no choice. " I grabbed hold of the handle with both hands, and screamed as I turned it, but it wouldn't budge. Frustrated, I through myself into it, and fell into the room with crumpled hands. I could barely see, or breath. It was so bloody hot. I squinted against the heat, feeling my hands heal themselves, and I could see a figure sitting on a large bed, that looked unaffected by all the damage done around her.

"Hey!" I shouted, staggering to my feet. "HEY!" The end of my blanket had caught on fire, and I frantically tried to put it out with my hands.

"What are _you_ doing here?" The girl demanded standing up, looking furious, but tears were streaming down her face.

"I came to help you!" I said, moving closer, my mouth feeling extremely dry.

"I don't need _your_ help," she snapped, lifting her hands threateningly. My eyes widened, and I took a small step back when I realized who it was. _Not Queen Bee,_ I thought, looking at the sparking bronze marks on her body. Her clothes had burned away and she was left standing in her birthday suit.

"Let me help you!" I insisted, as much as I hated it. "You could burn down the whole House of Night!"

"I can handle myself," she cried, more tears falling form her eyes. "Just leave me alone!" I could see the fear in her eyes, and I couldn't help but feeling sorry for her.

"Please, you need my help," I said, stepping closer. "I-"

"NO!" she screamed, throwing her hands in my direction, and I was engulfed in flamed. I screamed out in pain, my blanket burning away. Instead of feeling myself burning, I felt myself melt away. Looking at my hands in disparity, my fingers were falling away in a pool of water that was quickly evaporated by the heat.

"Stop it!" I shouted, trying to think of what I could do. "Please stop!"

"I can't," she cried. "I can't stop it!"

"Stop...," My voice was fading, and I felt my body fading away as well, falling into an evaporating pool on the floor. I heard the voice again in my head, and I felt myself gaining new strength. My body continued to melt, but the water stayed, actually it grew wider and higher. A huge glob of it. I tried to keep myself together, but it was so hard, I could feel the power building, but my body slipping. I began to panic, too afraid of losing myself forever, but I couldn't hold it anymore. I let it go, and I felt myself fill the entire room, and I blacked out.


	9. CHAPTER NINE

AN: Yay! I'm finally using another person's perspective. :) Hope you all enjoy.

Also, this is another reminder to vote for my poll on my profile.

CHAPTER _NINE_

Amethyst-Chan

Despite the striking heat, I felt cold. I hugged the towel around my small body and allowed Professor Volante lead my and Cherry out of the girls' dorm. As soon as I stepped out of the door I could feel everyone's eyes on me. It was these Marks. These weird tatoos that I had woken up with. These weren't normal. Tatoos were suppose to be blue, just like our Mark, and they were suppose to only appear on our faces, but these things covered my entire body. In the light of the strikingly bright sun, the tatoos glistened like newly shined gold bricks.

I wanted to shrink away, feeling my self-consciousness take over, but it quickly vanished when I was covered by an over-sized black cloak, I tried to peak through the hood that covered my face, but soft hands kept it down.

"It's alright sweet pea." The familiar voice of Rhinestone above me. "I'll lead you away, just keep yourself under the cloak so you won't draw anymore attention." I felt eternally grateful. I wish I could hide myself every other time I felt exposed to the world. I could hear Cherry's frantic barking somewhere behind me, but when I turned to look back, I couldn't see anything but black cloth. I could also hear soft murmurs as I walked away from the burning building._ They're talking about me,_ I thought, hugging myself tighter. _They are _all_ talking about me. _I squeezed my eyes shut, and wished I could disappear. I was use to being invisible, and not talking to people, but people talking about me was just too much.

"Now, now," Rhinestone said, stopping and holding my shoulders. "Keep yourself together, don't think negative things."

" Huh?" I asked, looking up in surprise. _How can she tell what I'm thinking?_, I thought. _Can she-_ My thoughts were cut off when I felt my hands slip through my arms. I gasped at the horrible feeling of being pulled apart in all directions.

"It's alright," she said reassuringly, pulling my hood down a little farther so that I couldn't see any light at all. "You're fine, you're alright. Stay here with my sweet pea, don't fly off. You gotta stay here so that we can help you."

"B-but it hurts," I gasped. I couldn't feel my limbs ,and I felt the only thing that was keeping me together was this cloak. I could hear more shouts and screams coming from the other side of the campus and behind me where the girls dorm was, along with the sound of the ground splitting open.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice shaking in fear. "Why is everyone screaming?"

"By the Goddess," Rhinestone whispered, sounding astonished.

"Please make it stop," I gasped, a sudden pressure on my head, or what I thought was my head.

"You have to calm down," she instructed. "Think about your family. Think about how much they love you, and all your childhood memories back home."

I missed my family. It wasn't Rhinestone's fault, she didn't know, or at least, she should've. Adult vampyres are suppose to know everything. My dad and my grandparents died in a house fire in our apartment building only a couple weeks after we moved to Canada. I was at school with my little brother, and we came home to the devastation. So it was just me, my mom and my brother. We had to move to a smaller apartment where my mom slept on the couch. These thoughts weren't helping, and I could feel myself falling farther and farther apart. My brother and I had to share a room, but I didn't care. We decorated the room together with things we had in common, like Manga, and video games. I had to get a job in order to help my mom pay the bills, but I didn't mind. It was only a fast food job, and my bro met me after every shift and we ate a meal together with my employee discount. Sometimes my mom even came when she wasn't working.

"Good girl," Rhinestone sighed, satisfied, patting my shoulder. And it _was_ my shoulder. I could feel my limbs again, and the pressure was gone from my head.

"What's happened to me?" I whispered, staring down, but I couldn't see my feet.

"It will be explained," she said softly, urging me forward. "You don't need to worry." _How can I not worry?_, I thought. _I'm even more different that I already was. I don't want to stand out like this, I just want to fall back into the shadows...why can't I have that? The sound glass breaking followed the short silence after the ground stopped shaking._ I then heard a large amount of water fall and hit the ground, and more screaming.

"What's happening?" I demanded, wanting to remove the hood.

"It's alright child," she whispered, her hand on my head. "There have been no additional injuries."

"Additional?" I repeated incredulously. "You mean other people were hurt?

Rhinestone was a bit hesitant with her answer. "Yes."

"Was anyone...killed?" I whispered, too afraid to speak any louder. She didn't reply this time, but I followed her guide without anymore questions.

* * *

Melinda

If it wasn't for the feeling of the floor below me, I would've thought I was dead. I couldn't feel my any sold limbs. I could feel myself mentally, but I was in a thousand pieces. I had no eyes, but I could see when I focused. I was surrounded by charred furniture, and the wall had crumbled away to show the beams of the structure holding the room up. There were footstep, and the door fell off its hinges, slapping me, and sending me across the floor in ripples. Cross Lady stood just inside the room, and teachers passed on either side of her to survey to the room. One found Tonya laying awkwardly against the far wall, and lifted her into his arms.

"I don't see her Evangeline," A teacher I didn't know whispered, looking around anxiously.

"She's here," she smiled, getting down on her knees. She put her hand just on top of the puddle of water in front of her. I could feel a sensation of warmth from her. "Good work Melinda Bree," she said softly. "Now you must pull yourself together." _How?, _I thought, staring at her. I couldn't do it. I didn't even know if a piece of me was across the room or not. I was water. I wasn't flesh and bone anymore. I couldn't do it.

"Just concentrate," she instructed. "Just focus on gathering yourself together. You don't need to gather all the water in the room, just in one section. You are Water Melinda, so you can create a body for yourself out of any water." _Create a body?_, I repeated silently._ Great, now I gotta pull a Frankenstein for myself, except I won't make myself look like a monster...I hope_. Taking what felt like an unnecessary breath, I concentrated. I thought of my crazy brown hair, I thought of my odd shaped head and face, and my skinny neck. I felt the water move, and gather together in a weird blob. I thought of my thin torso that stayed the same size no matter how much food I shoved down my throat. My small shoulders, and gangly arms, and my slim legs. The blob took a more defined shape, and before I realized it, I wasn't staring out from the water puddle, but a pair of eyes set in my head.

"Whoa...," I shivered, laying on my back. Cross Lady smiled, and pulled out a large black cloak.

"Put this on," she instructed, helping me to sit up. I stared at my Marks as she help me put my arms through the sleeves, and do up the front.

"Why me?" I grumbled.

"Why not you?" she countered with amusement.

"Because I hate vampyres," I replied bluntly. Her expression didn't twitch at all at my words. "I hate everything about them, and I don't think too highly of your Goddess either."

"And yet she has given you the greatest honour," she smiled, helping me to stand. "How ironic."

"Being an even bigger freak than before is not an honour," I snapped, as she covered by face with and extremely large hood.

"Come now, Melinda Bree," she said, taking a hold of my arm. "I shall guide you, but don't remove your hood." I never promised that I would, in fact I didn't say anything more. I just followed her. It seemed eerily quiet. Only the sound of our footsteps assured me that I hadn't gone completely deaf. My legs were shaky and weak, and if I wasn't afraid of falling, I would have pulled myself free of Cross Lady's grip. When we stepped outside, it was quiet too. I could tell it was still daylight out, but was surprised that there were no kids out.

"They were taken to the dining hall," Cross Lady said, as if reading my thoughts. "Every student that wasn't injured."

"How many were injured?" I asked.

"A few," she replied without hesitation. I couldn't help but feel like she was hiding something from me, and got even more fed up with everything that had happened to me in only my first day at this stupid school when I tripped over something.

"Damn it," I cursed, throwing my hood off.

"Melinda-" Cross Lady gasped, but was cut off by my horrified scream. I had tripped over a hunk of earth that stuck out of the ground, but was stabbed me with senseless fear was the body laying next to it. It wasn't human, and I should have been a little less freaked, but the tiny white form made my heart ache.

"Faith..." I was surprised I could even talk. I wretched my arm free of Cross Lady's grip and fell to my knees, beside her. Her fur was stained with blood, one ear missing, and there was an awkward dent in her head.

"Melinda...," Cross Lady whispered, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"No!" I shouted, my voice vibrating in pain. I shrugged her off, and turned on her with raging eyes. "How could this have happened? Why did she have to die?"

"Melinda, I'm sorry," she sighed, her eyes filled with sympathy.

"No you're not!" I screamed, jumping to my feet, tears building up behind my eyes. "The only normal thing that happened to me today, and now she's gone! I didn't even have her for a day! Do you get that? No you don't!" I was so overtaken by grief, I could've sworn I felt something pawing my leg. That poor little kitten. Those cute, big, blue, curious eyes, her soft pure white fur. I'd never get to see them again.

"Mew!" cried a small voice.

"Now I'm hallucinating!" I shouted, tears spilling over. "Why am I being tortured like this?"

"Melinda," she said softly, looking down at my feet. I followed the crazy lady's gaze, and gasped. A pair of big, blue, curious eyes were staring up at me.

"Oh Faith!" I cried, dropping to my knees and scooping her up. Oh the relief I felt. The pain was gone, but the tears were there, but they poured over in joy. I looked over at the cat body and noticed it was actually bigger than Faith. How could I have mistaken her for Faith? I she was very strong, and wouldn't let anything harm her.

"Mew!" she squealed, rubbing against my face. I couldn't believe it. She was okay. She was really alive. Her fur was matted with dirt and grass, but she was still in one piece.

"Oh, I'm never leaving you out of my sight again," I sniffed, holding her close.

"I'm sorry to cut you off," Cross Lady began.

"Then don't," I snapped, turning daggers on her.

"You have to come with me to the infirmary," she said, her face calm. "That's where the others are."

"Others?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow, which took some effort.

"You, Amethyst-Chan and Tonya aren't the only ones," she explained, kneeling beside me. "You three are Water, Air and Fire, but there is also Earth and Spirit."

"So five of us," I nodded, petting Faith. "Just like in the Circle?"

"Precisely," she nodded. "And you were all chosen for a reason. I know you don't like us, or believe in anything we do, but look at the miracles you have performed. No one has ever had your level of control over this element, or given such a great gift as you have."

"You sound like Professor Panda," I muttered, cuddling a now squealing Faith.

"Just look," she said with a smile, motioning to the scene around us. I couldn't really define the smile. It was kind of a bitter-sweet one. One that held marvel, but held sorrow beneath it. I swallowed a lump in my throat, and finally took in my surroundings. I swear my hear stopped for a second. It was unbelievable, it was impossible, yet there it was. Five large towers of earth towered among the chaos throughout the House of Night. They were positioned just like they were in my painting, except there wasn't any special significance about them. No element shadows, just hunks of rock. One had shot up grazing the Girl's dorm, another pierced through the centre of the boy's dorm, another came up right behind the goddess's temple, another came up behind the stables, and the last was standing where the central fountain had once been.

"No way...," I breathed, stumbling to my feet.

"Don't you see Melinda Bree," Cross Lady said quietly, standing as well, but more gracefully. "You and the others hold extraordinary powers. Powers that will save us all."

* * *

Melinda

The infirmary was filled with kids. Cross Lady lied. It was more than a few. They were crying, and moaning, and one was even hyperventilating. I didn't see what was wrong with them, because Cross Lady had me put my hood back on. It was probably because of my freakish tatoos, but I didn't care. It only added to my freak factor. I was lead along with Faith nestled in my arms.

"In here," Cross Lady instructed as I heard a door open. I walked through carefully, and was met by muffled sobs. The door closed behind us with a small click, blocking out the sounds outside. "Alright, you can take it off now." She didn't need to tell me twice. I whipped off my hood, and took in a deep breath of fresh air, then chocked on it. Destiny was crying on Tonya's shoulder, and the look on her face was so...sad. She looked like she was going to start crying along with her. One look at me however, and it quickly vanished. Her Mark was gone and replaced by a pair of firey wings that spread down her face, the colour of blazing bronze.

"We just need to find the last one," I heard Cross Lady whisper to Rhinestone, but didn't here anymore when I was nearly knocked over by Amethyst.

"Oh you're okay!" she gasped, snot trailing down her nose. "Oh, I was so worried."

"You'll be lonely too if you don't clean up your snot fest," I said, leaning back so she wouldn't get any on me. She quickly wiped her face on the sleeves of her cloak. "Why's Destiny crying?" I whispered to her, hoping no one else heard me.

"She's Earth," Amethyst explained in the same tone. "She was the one who created those large pillars."

"Oh," I nodded. _That's some power_, I thought.

"Melinda?" Destiny sniffed, looking up. Her forehead was covered with a large pair of wings made of vines that disappeared up under her hair and looped down to her cheeks and neck.

"You okay?" I asked, sitting down on one of the chairs that had been set out.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she nodded, wiping her eyes. "I just hurt so many people...I didn't mean to."

"I told you, don't blame yourself," Tonya snapped. "It's not your fault. You couldn't control yourself. Just like I couldn't control myself either. I almost burned down the dorm."

"You're welcome," I half smiled, covering most of Faith's body with my long sleeves.

"I would've been just fine." Tonya glared at me. "I was getting the hang of it."

"Of burning things endlessly. Oh yes, you get a gold star for that one," I nodded, "but if it was all an act, then you should get an _Oscar_." She gritted her teeth, biting back any retorts she was going to throw at me. _She's got some good self control,_ I thought, giving her props.

"Evangeline!" Professor Volante practically knocked down the door when he rushed in, a grave look on his face. Cherry followed him into the room and she trotted over to me, whimpering as she rested head on my lap.

"It's okay girl," I smiled, scratching her head. I half expected Faith and Cherry to growl and hiss at each other, but they laid there in silence.

"Did you find Spirit?" she asked, hurrying over to him.

"Yes," he nodded, "but that's not what I wanted to tell you." They moved into the corner, speaking in hushed voice. I turned to Amethyst to say something to her, but she was watching them tentatively, as if trying to figure out what they were saying.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Listening," she replied in a hushed voice. "They said 3 boys died in the dorm when the pillar broke through, and 4 are badly injured."

"Did they say who died?" I urged. She looked at me finally, her eyes glazed with tears._ Oh no_, I thought. _Not someone we know... _The door opened just then, and a guy teacher whom I've never seen before came in with another person who was covered with a black cloak. She was taller than him, which was surprising, since I hadn't seen any girls that tall so far today.

"So you do you think that is?" I asked, forgetting about the dead boys.

"Don't know...," she shrugged, not looking at all interested. She was watching Destiny finally dry up her tears.

"I brought Spirit," the male teacher announced, leading the person to the last empty chair. She didn't sit though, she staid standing, and kept her hood on.

"Let me see," Cross Lady said, coming over to her. Boy was she tall. Cross Lady had was a full foot shorter. "Remove your hood." Obediently, the hood was thrown back, and I only stared in shock. _Would these twists ever end?_ I thought. The person under the hood wasn't a girl(which explained a lot), but Vince. I couldn't see his tatoos because his hair was brushed down in his face, but I could see parts of a wispy mist design in dark amethyst on his cheek,. His one visible blue eye seemed to glow brighter than usual.

" A _boy_?" Tonya looked at him incredulously. "Spirit is a boy?"

"Apparently so," Amethyst said, blinking at him in surprise.

"Please sit down," Cross Lady said, her face unchanging. "I'll explain everything."

"I prefer to stand, thank you," he replied, his eyes moving to a wall.

"Alright," Cross Lady nodded, moving so she stood before the five of us. "Where do I begin?" I glanced to Amethyst, wondering if she'd ask about the dead boys.

"How about telling us about the deaths we caused?" I asked when she showed no sign of doing so. Cross Lady's face went black in surprise, and I heard Destiny hiccup.

"Deaths," Cross Lady repeated in a quiet voice.

"Yes, who died?" I repeated, not dropping my gaze. I could feel Amethyst staring at me. Cross Lady sighed, a looked down to the floor.

"There were unfortunately 5 deaths today," she said firmly, looking up at us again. "That is, not counting the few cats that died as well." The room was eerily quiet. Destiny looked like she was holding her breath. "Their names were Abigale Thorn, Wesley Miles, Coralina, Harvey Briggs...and Zach Attack." I nearly fell out of seat when Destiny screamed. She was crying again, but harder than I thought possible. Tonya held her tightly, trying to comfort her the best she could. So that's who...,I thought, glancing at Amethyst. It was Destiny's boyfriend. I could feel my heart racing. We did this, I thought, my head spinning. We caused all these things to happen. Well, Tonya and Destiny caused more damage than we did, but still. It was only fair to blame all of us.

"It's all my fault!" Destiny was wailing now, soaking up Tonya's cloak with snot and tears.

"No it's not," she sighed soothingly.

"It was Nyx's," I said flatly, staring down at my lap, but I felt everyone's shocked gazes on me. "It's true. If she hadn't did this to us, no one would've died. So in the grand scheme of things, it's her fault."

"In the grand scheme of things, this was to happen to save our future," Cross Lady said, her voice unwavering.

"So your saying their lives were a necessary sacrifice?" I countered, glaring up at her. "That they are the only first casualties of a war to come? What kind of sick game are you trying to play?"

"Melinda, don't talk to her like that," Amethyst gasped, the most shocked out of all of the.

"I can talk to her anyway I like," I snapped, turning on her. "She's no High Priestess of mine. And this so called 'Goddess' is not mine either. I don't want any of this shit."

"Oh, so everything revolves around you?" Tonya asked in a very sarcastic voice.

"No, that's how your world works, with all your little people following you like a queen bee," I shrugged. She didn't bother me. The only thing that did was being forced to be here and listen to these stupid explanations.

"Please, no fighting," Cross Lady spoke up finally. "I will not have you fighting amongst yourselves when you need to focus on fighting the evil."

"You can count me out," I said, scratching Faith's head. "I fight for no one."

"Not even yourself?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"I'm not that selfish."

"Then perhaps for the person you care about the most?" That'd obviously be Gonzo, I thought. But he's a big boy, he can fight for himself, but I would feel horrible if he died because of something I didn't do. I'd probably feel as horrible as Destiny looks. I glared up at Cross Lady, defiance being obvious.

"I'll hear you out, but I'm not promising anything," I finally said.

"Fair enough," she nodded, and turned to the rest of them. "I guess I can start with the Elements. Not much is known about them really, but they were the original source to the elements we know today. They weren't exactly children of Nyx, but for centuries they worked with her to make a beautiful paradise of the Otherworld, and to make one of similarity on Earth. They were very powerful, so powerful that there was a time when they caused a lot of destruction. They begged Nyx to be rid of them so they wouldn't hurt people anymore. If they were to die, the elements would disappear from the realms, so she put them into a deep sleep. The sleep was so deep, that they would never be able to wake up in their pure forms again. The only way to revive them, was to wake them into the bodies of strong-willed vampyres chosen by Nyx. You five were chosen by Nyx, and you currently are filled with tan ancient element."

"That much I got," I sighed, sliding a bit in my chair. "I mean, it only makes sense because of the dream, and these tatoos. But _why_ us?"

"As I said," Cross Lady continued. "You were chosen by Nyx. She has her reasons. If we were to know these reason, we'd see no wonder or mystery in her work."

"But why did we cause such destruction?" Destiny sniffed, looking up. "Why did we cause all those things to happen?"

"It was the entities proclaiming their return," she explained. "They are very powerful as I said, and what you saw is only a fraction of what they are capable of. You only noticed the five columns, and the fire, but there were other signs that didn't have a drastic aftermath. The wave of panic that woke us all was the first sign. It was Spirit warning us that we were in the presence of god-like power. There was a tornado around the House of Night. That's why trees were pulled from their roots outside our walls. The school was in the centre of the tornado. Before it was destroyed, the fountain's water reached incredible heights, bathing the entire school of night. We did our best to get all the students to safety, but we were unfortunately not fast enough. There is no need to blame yourselves though, it would've happened no matter who was chosen. The Elements have return to the Earth, and they needed to proclaim it to the world."

"But why have they returned?" Amethyst asked in a shaky voice. "There must be a good reason right?"

"Yes, there is," Cross Lady nodded in agreement, "but what it is I don't know."

"But you said that you guys need saving," I said lifting an eyebrow. "You must know what you need saving from."

"I unfortunately don't," she sighed. "My gift from Nyx is strong intuition and empathy. I know what people feel, here, and in the Otherworld. I can feel Nyx is concerned, but she is confident with her decisions. She trusts that you will be able to handle anything thrown at you."

"We nearly destroy the House of Night, and we are given the job of protecting you," Tonya repeated, not sounding at all happy. "That's very nice."

"And how are we suppose to control these powers?" Amethyst asked.

"Through practice of course," Cross Lady smiled. "Your timetables will now be changed so you can have private tutoring to control your powers. You will be taught by a teacher who has the same affinity as you."

"There are teachers with element affinities?" Amethyst gasped in amazement.

"Is that why they are the ones at the circle casting?" I asked, believing I was catching on.

"Actually, not all the teachers with affinities are in my Circle," Cross Lady explained. "A Circle isn't just made of powerful vampyres, but of those you have a strong bond with. And the five of you all have a deep ancient bond, and the Circle you cast will be incredible."

"_We're_ gonna cast a Circle?" Destiny repeated in wonder.

"Yes," she nodded. "And I've actually thought of the perfect way for you to get into great practice. You five will lead the Dark Daughters."

"What?" Tonya screamed, and octave higher than I thought possible. I know it was mean, but I found pleasure in her distress.

"You five will lead the Dark Daughters, and cast the Circle at every meeting you have," Cross Lady elaborated.

"I'll still be able to cast it right?" Tonya demanded, glaring daggers at her.

"No, you will be standing at the southern point representing fire," she replied, the corners of her lips twitching.

"What?" she shouted again. "Then who's going to?"

"Vince is," she replied simply, smiling at the only boy in the room. We all turned in stared in surprise, and he met none of our gazes. I actually felt sad that he didn't look at me.

"A _boy_ can't summon a Circle!" Tonya growled, completely furious.

"There is always a first for everything," Volante said from the back. I had forgotten we was even there.

"Indeed there is," Cross Lady nodded in agreement.

"So what about the rest of the students?" I asked. "Will they be told?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I'm going to be having an assembly to explain the situation...and to announce the passings we had. While that's being done, you will be taken to the teacher's building to eat and rest."

"What about our dorms?" Destiny asked, wiping her eyes.

"Just eat and rest," she smiled. "Things will be taken care of."


	10. CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER TEN

_Melinda_

When we had to walk to the teacher's building, we had to completely cover ourselves with those oversized – just right for Vince – robes. Cross Lady that they were special robes that would keep us whole, even if we started to slip apart, but I figured it was so we wouldn't be freaks on display. Amethyst told me that she felt like she was falling apart when she left the dorm, and that the robes really did work. I only nodded, not wanting to voice my opinion. It would probably only upset her. I held Faith tightly in the folds of my robe as we were lead but the guiding hands of teachers. Cherry whined, pressing herself against my legs as we went along. As soon as we stepped inside, I didn't wait for permission, and just through off my hood.

"Finally, I can breathe," I exhaled loudly. No one responded, which surprised me. Faith only mewed and rubbed against my chest. The others followed Professor Volante, Rhinestone, and a couple other teacher I'd never seen before without saying a word. We were brought to what looked like the lounge, and in the middle was a table set up with easy to eat food. I wasn't surprised that I was the only one to pick up a plate. I filled with with tuna sandwiches, Faith mewing her approval. I sat down next to Amethyst, who seated herself on a couch away from the others. Tonya was still comforting Destiny, and Vince stood against the back wall, his eyes shut.

"Not hungry?" I asked, shoving a whole slice in my mouth. She shook her head slowly, staring down at her tattooed hands. I took another piece and split it in half, giving one each to my pets. Cherry gobbled it down greedily, while Faith swatted away the bread to help herself to the fish.

"How can you eat at a time like this?" Destiny asked, sniffing hard.

"She said to eat and rest," I shrugged. "I'm doing as I'm told."

"How can you be so calm?" she said, making a face. "A second ago you were...and now your..." That was a good question. I really didn't have an answer for it. I could've told her I was bipolar, which I probably was, but I did change moods a lot. And I found no other reason to be angry right now. There's nothing I could do at the moment, no high authority to argue with since Cross Lady wasn't here (it was useless to fight with the other teachers since they probably didn't know as much as she) and I was given food. I'm always happy when there's food. I only shrugged again, downing another piece. The door burst open at the instant, causing us all – except Vince – to jump. Gonzo stood in the door way, panic on his face. His eyes slid over everyone in the room, even Tonya, and landed on me. He had took only two hurried steps toward me before he was intercepted by the Queen Bee.

"Oh Greg!" she cried, throwing herself at him. A mixture of emotions crossed his face – surprise, confusion, but he just blinked them away and hugged her tightly.

"Y-you okay?" he asked.

"It was so horrible," she sobbed, tear magically appearing her eyes, as she buried her face into his chest. It was just so horrible. I didn't bother trying to make out the rest of her blubbering bullshit. She wasn't this upset a minute ago. Gonzo looked up at me, and gave me a worried look. In silent response, I flexed my free arm, and gave him a cocky grin, and a wink to boot. He smiled in return, looking relieved.

"Aren't you suppose to be at the assembly?" Volante asked, he was the only teacher who remained.

"Nah, I was more worried about...my friends," Gonzo hesitated. "I didn't see them after everything that happened, so I came to find them. And it looks like they're all here

"Destiny calmed down," Tonya gasped, her own sob story abandoned, and she was back at her friend's side. "It's okay."

"N-no it's not," she wheezed. "I killed him..._I KILLED HIM!"_

"If you don't calm down, you may kill someone else!" Tonya snapped, obviously reaching the edge of her patience. "So stop it!" Destiny jerked away from her, still sobbing hard.

"Don't shout at her," Volante ordered, trying to keep a levelled voice. "It won't help at all." he stumbled across the room to try and help calm her. I didn't really know what to do. I couldn't really counter her like I did Tonya, so I felt useless. She could bring down this whole building, and us in it. The panic, along with the shaking ground stopped suddenly, and instead it was filled a calming essence. Everyone seemed to feel it, feeling peace simultaneously, well, except for Vince. Hey, I'm sorry that I keep pointing out how he stands apart from what everyone else. It's just easy to notice, and this time anyone could've picked it out if they were paying attention – which I admit I was. His tattoos on his face were glowing, along with his eyes, and his hair seemed to float in a non-existing breeze. He must have been using Spirit to calm Destiny, but was effecting everyone else in the room as well. I was starting to feel kind of sleepy when he stopped, and he returned to normal, standing idly against the wall.

"You sure you're okay?" Gonzo asked, making me jump out of my Spirit-haze. He had sat down beside me, seriousness set on his face.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked, flipping my hair over my shoulder. "It'll take a lot more than that to take me down."

" Good thing you're bullet proof now," he laughed lightly. "What _are_ you now?"

"Long story," I sighed, nibbling on another piece of sandwich. "You know your GF looks like she's about to blow a gasket. You should get back over there and be her shoulder to lean on."

"Oh, right," he said, quickly looking out the corner of his eye, not looking at all happy about leaving me.

"It's okay, just find me tomorrow and we'll talk," I grinned, punching his arm. "Now get back over there before she burns this place down." I made a whipped sound, earning a disproving/amused look as he got up and went over to the awaiting queen. I will admit, I was jealous. I hated having to share him. I know that was selfish, especially since he would've gotten a girlfriend eventually. If only it was someone I could actually tolerate. It would be a lot easier. I was so use to having all of his attention, and from the way he entered the room, I'd say I still came first. 'Bros before hoes' was the saying right? I wasn't really a 'bro' but I was still his closest homie. I had yet to find a reason he was even with her. My inner rambling ended when Rhinestone returned to the room.

"Bedrooms have been set up for you," she said. "You can go up anytime you like. They are on the second floor. Amethyst-Chan and Melinda are in the first on the left, Destiny and Tonya the second on the left, and Vince, first on the right." Vince was the first to move, gliding past us all and out the door. Eager beaver, I thought munching on another piece of sandwich.

"I wanna go to sleep," Amethyst said, rubbing her eyes. "Hopefully we won't have another nightmare." I nodded, and stood up as she did. I abandoned my plate lazily on the couch, and scooped Faith up again. Cherry followed me closely, rubbing herself against my legs again. I gave Gonzo a small wave before exiting.

* * *

To tell you the truth, I wasn't tired at all. I sat on my bed, still in my ginormous robes. Cherry had claimed the foot of my bed, and to my surprise, Faith curled up beside her. Guess tough times bring people together, I thought, pleased they weren't hissing at each other. Amethyst had zonked out the minute her head hit the pillow. Poor thing was exhausted. I wish I was. I paced around the room, careful not to trip over the robes. I kept looking at my hands, and stealing glances at myself as I passed the mirror. I was finally feeling something other than my earlier hunger. Scared.

Yup, I'll admit it, I was scared. I was thrusted into the middle of some ancient blood-sucker battle that required all this magic voodoo stuff to go down. I felt mostly afraid of myself. In that dream...I _died_. I died and became something else. Perhaps I didn't become something else, but let something inhabit my body. I really didn't know, and it didn't really matter. Or maybe by dieing I 'awakened' something, just like Cross Lady had mentioned earlier. Either way, I was effed up for life.

I heard movement outside, and with nothing else to do, I quietly opened my door, and peered out. I had to hold back a gag. Tonya and Gonzo were in a major lip-lock. _GROSSSSS!_, I screamed silently, looking away, not wanting to see anymore. I could barely see them dating, but doing that? _I wonder what else they've done. Do you think they... Gross image! _I hit my head with my palm. _Don't think about that! But if they did, would he tell me? Probably not because I would react like this. But he tells me everything. He would tell me if they did._ But seeing him playing tonsil hockey like that had me second guessing myself. I heard them whisper goodbyes, and heard Tonya's door close.

It was then I realized mine was still hanging open, and he was gonna have to pass it to leave. I tried to discretely close it without him noticing, but it was too late. He was looking through the crack and right at me. I put on a big goofy grin, and waved innocently. He looked amused, but shook his head. He motioned for me to follow and headed for the stairs. I looked back at my sleeping companions, and knew they would be fine. I closed the door carefully, and lightly stalked my way down the stairs. The light to the room we were in earlier was on, so I assumed that was where he went. I walked in, eyes wide, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious, but there was nothing there but Gonzo.

"What's up?" I asked, being my usual perky self. In response, he hugged me tightly. Tighter than has ever before.

" Can't...breathe," I cried dramatically. He didn't seem to hear me. He just kept on squeezing me against his firm body. Did he work out? I don't remember his biceps being- I mentally slapped myself. _What the fudge man? Focus._

"May I ask why I'm being suffocated after surviving fire and earthquakes?" I asked, keeping up my sarcastic attitude.

"I'm just so happy you're okay," he sighed, finally loosening his grip so he could look down at me. His eyes were glistening.

"Are you crying?" I asked, being serious myself. There was only a couple times when I saw him cry, and this would be number 6.

"I thought I lost you," Gonzo sniffed, trying to keep the tears from spilling over. "When I saw everyone else was accounted for except you and your roommate...and I couldn't find Cherry either...I just assumed the worst."

"Hey you know me," I shrugged, trying to get the light air back. "I'm too stubborn to die."

"That is true," he nodded. I felt triumphant getting a half smile out of him. "What happened?" He moved my hair out of my face, stroking my cheek as he did to reveal my tattoos. I have to say the motion felt nice.

" Long story short, got killed in a dream and became Water," I replied. "I don't control water, but I _am_ Water. I mean that's what Cross Lady says."

"Did she say why this happened?" He asked, holding my hands gingerly, and admiring the tattoos there.

"That we need to battle some evil," I shrugged. "You know how those movies go. An unsuspecting 'normal' person gets thrown into something they don't want to, and then is given a special mission only they can do to save the world. Typical Blockbuster. Sucks that its me eh?"

"How ironic," he smirked. "You have to save a race you despise."

"Don't put it like that," I growled, taking my hands back, and moving to the table that still held food. I helped myself to a piece of fruit, and turned back to see him watching me.

"What?" I asked, my mouth half full.

"Do you hate me?" Gonzo asked. I stared at him in confusion.

"What kind of question is that?" I demanded.

"I want to know," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Of course not," I said, making a face at him. "Why would I? I have no reason to."

"I became a fledgling," he shrugged. "I didn't tell you about my girlfriend."

" I told you before, becoming a fledgling didn't make me hate you," I snapped, getting angry. Though it has made him change a lot. For the better, I'm ashamed to admit. "And it's okay you didn't tell me about Tonya. I'm not mad you didn't tell me you had a GF, just that _she's_ the GF. I tell ya, you could do so much better." He seemed to relax, which was good, because I really didn't realize he was so tense.

"Speaking of your GF," I said, leaning against the table, curiosity getting the best of me. "How far have you guys gone?" The look on his face told me he wasn't expecting such a question, which amused me. I like seeing him fumble for an answer.

"Well, uh," he stammered, running a hand through his hair.

" Come, spit it out," I grinned. "Is she good?"_ Ew, bad imaging._

"NO!" he shouted, eyes wide in shock. "I mean, well...We haven't done it yet." Relief flooded through me. Why, I couldn't put it on one reason.

"Would you have told me if you did?" I asked, folding my arms, going into interrogation mode. "I mean without me asking?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Gonzo demanded, visibly uncomfortable.

"To see if you still consider me your closest friend," I shrugged. "You know, to see if you still tell me everything. I know it's hard to email everything that happens, but you tend to leave out a lot of things." He gave me this look, I couldn't quite define what it was, but I think I saw understanding mixed in it.

"Yes," he said. "I would've told you."

"The truth you speak my padawan," I said, giving him a small curtsey, fanning out my long robes. He did speak the truth. I could tell when he lied.

"That's new," he smirked. "It looks like a dress."

"And I hate it," I scoffed, tugging at the sleeves. "I'm drowning in it."

"You should go to sleep now," he said, checking his watch. "Classes start in a few hours."

"Are they still gonna have classes after all this?" I asked, looking exasperated.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I didn't attend the meeting."

" Right," I nodded, thinking of what he said earlier. "_I was more worried about...my friends. I didn't see them after everything that happened, so I came to find them." And he just said he got worried when I was accounted for. He didn't even think of Tonya..._

"I'm too tired to sleep," I said, heading for the door. "I'm going outside."

"But you can't," Gonzo protested, but he wasn't quick enough. I was already out the door, and down the hall before he could catch up. I through the door open, and was greeted by intense light. It wasn't as bright as it was earlier, but then again I hadn't really noticed. The sun was far to the west, and would be setting soon. I felt awkward standing out in the light, but I embraced it. No torch could truly capture the true devastation of the scene before me. The beautiful fountain had been shattered, replaced by a large pillar of earth. Both dorms had been broken nearly torn up by a pillar each, but the girl's dorm had suffered fire damage as well. Clumps of earth, brick and wood were scattered everywhere, and stains of red were found here and there.

I couldn't find any cats, and didn't expect to as I walked amongst the chaos. The pathways had been overturned, and bench broken to pieces. The grass was all patchy, and you could still smell the faint scent of burning wood. Gonzo walked silently beside me, surveying the damage, and squinting against the sun.

"She sure did cause a lot of damage...," I whispered, standing outside of the temple.

"Destiny?" Gonzo asked. "She's Earth?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Amethyst is Air, Queen Bee is Fire, and Vince is Spirit."

"Never expected Vince to be given an element," he said with amusement. "Especially that one."

"Yeah, he should be the element of surprise," I laughed lightly.

"Surprise?" he asked, looking confused.

"Because whenever he does something, like speak, it's such a surprise." I couldn't help but grin at the lame joke.

"Yeah he's quiet, but he's a good guy," he nodded, finding amusement in it.

"Why us?" I sighed. "Why did we have to be Marked?"

"Night was calling to us," he replied, quoting the Tracker. "It chose us."

" But _why_?" I asked, sighing in frustration.

"Well, you were Marked so you could take on this responsibility," he said. "Not sure why I was."

"I think they they just put the names of everyone in the world in a ginormous hat and pick their names at random," I said, pacing around the temple. "Because that seems to be the only logical way of picking people."

"Then what a coincidence they picked both of us," Gonzo smiled. "Must be fate."

" We're BFF's," I grinned. "Of course they'd have to change the both of us. I bet our names were on the same piece of paper. Where one goes, the other follows. That's always how its been. It's how it always will be." I wondered over to the giant pillar that stood beside the building. It was amazing how it just missed it. _Must be sacred enough for a rogue pillar to miss_, I thought. I looked closer at the pillar, and saw that there were designed into it that looked like waves.

_This must be the water one,_ I thought, mentally checking that we were on the western side of the grounds. I ran my hands across the pillar, feel its cool surface, and then something jolted inside me. I heard Gonzo shout something, but my mind couldn't register it. My mind had a hard time registering anything as my body became nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, but not solid. I was in my water form again, and I felt all over the place, unable to focus on one thing. I felt myself being sucked into something. Something that allowed me to flow through multiple paths at once, heading toward a single destination. It felt like I was travelling through ground, and I realized I was. I was travelling through the pillar.

More like I was filling it up. I was being stretched, and from what I could feel, I was surrounded by dirt and stones, and grass. I hated not having any limbs. I could barely even focus on seeing. When I reached the top, I could see out onto the campus. The sun no longer bothered me, but I saw it in ripples, like water passing over it. I looked down at the pillar I had travelled up, and saw the designs on it were glowing the same sapphire as my my tattoos. _God, this looks like my painting..._, I thought. _Okay, try thinking of going back down...Think of becoming whole again._ Of course, it didn't go as smoothly as I wanted, but I slowly managed to get myself down through the pillar, and on the ground.

"Oh thank God," Gonzo sighed.

"Oh, I got digits," I smiled, wiggling my fingers. I was laying on my stomach, face practically in the dirt.

"Um, Lin?" he said hesitantly. I looked up from my spot, and saw he had his back to me. I didn't even have to look. I could feel the air on my butt.

"Where'd my robes go?" I asked, not moving. I'd rather my butt be exposed than anything else.

"They, uh, got buried," he replied, keeping his back to me.

"Under what?" I demanded, looking around. I was laying next to a giant pile of dirt. The pillar was now gone, and was replaced by this pile.

"Great...," I thought. "Okay, go get me a blanket."

"And leave you out in broad daylight?" he said.

"I'll jump in a bush," I shrugged, looking around. Thankfully, there was a bush nearby, growing closely to the wall surrounding the school. "You stay right there and keep guard while I go hide myself, then come back with a blanket."

"And where will I get a blanket?" he asked.

"I don't know," I growled, growing impatient. "Go to my room and get one. Just don't wake up Amethyst or the animals."

"Cherry's a very light sleeper," Gonzo pointed out with amusement.

"Yup, I know," I smiled. "Now stay, while I move."

"Yes ma'am." I felt kind of awkward standing up completely naked in broad daylight. Self consciously, I put a hand over my lower parts, and the other across my boobs, and quickly moved toward the bush. I kept glancing back at him to make sure he wasn't looking. He didn't thank goodness.

"Okay," I shouted. "Go boy go!"

"As you wish," he shouted back, heading toward the student building. I sat on my knees, and peered over the bush, making sure no one else would come along and find me the way I was.


	11. CHAPTER ELEVEN

_AN: Thank you for being ever so patient my loyal readers :) I appreciate it. I also really appreciate all the fav's and alerts I've been getting. Thanx._

CHAPTER ELEVEN

_Amethyst-Chan_

I wasn't surprised to hear Melinda leave. She didn't seem like one to sleep at times like this. I couldn't sleep either. I just let her think I was. I wanted to sleep, really, but I just couldn't. I was having a tough time comprehending everything that had just happened. I resorted to gazing at the intricate designs on my hands. They were shiny and golden, and very swirly. They only reached my wrist on the outside, but decorated my palms. It was like someone decided to attack me with henna drawn in liquid gold.

I wasn't sure if Nyx had chosen right in picking me as one of these special people. I wasn't anything special. In fact, I was very normal. I wasn't someone of importance, like Tonya or Destiny. They were both in the Dark Daughters. Tonya was the leader. Or like Melinda. She's so out there, and voices her opinion on everything. She's strong and isn't afraid of anything. I didn't really know anything about Vince. Only that he was part of Tonya's group, so that gives him some importance points. And what was I?

I was a girl who liked horses. When I wasn't studying, I was spending time with them. I also wasn't a rule breaker, and didn't question authority. That's all I was. In most definitions I'd be a goodie two-shoes I guess, but I wasn't over the top, and didn't speak out a lot. Yeah, Nyx definitely made a mistake in choosing me. All of a sudden I heard something crash and crumble outside. Cherry woke up with a start, and looked around frantically, and whined when she noticed Melinda wasn't here.

"It's okay," I smiled sitting up. "She'll be back." I got up and sat on the bed next to her, petting her lightly. Her eagerness woke up Faith who began to mew in confusion. I scooped faith up, and sat her on my lap, and petted her and Cherry simultaneously. _I wish I had been chosen by a cat_, I thought, feeling envious. Even though she'd been here for little over a day, Melinda has had more things happen to her than I did this whole time. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of her. She was just one of those lucky ones I guess.

The turning of the doorknob startled me, and caused Cherry to bark and leap off of the bed.

"Hey girl," greeted Greg in a whisper. "Oh, I didn't wake you did I?" He asked when he noticed me.

"No, I was up," I replied. "Where's Melinda?"

"She's...in a predicament," he said, hoping it was the right word.

"When isn't she," I asked. "She's gotten into a lot of them already."

"Trust me, she's gotten into a ton of them throughout her entire life," Greg chuckled. "She's a trouble magnet. Um, could I borrow a blanket?"

"Sure," I shrugged, standing up with Faith in my arm, and lifting off the top layer of Melinda's bed. "What she do this time?"  
"She's hidden in a bush naked," he shrugged as if it was nothing.

"What?" I gasped in credulously. "Why's she naked?"

"Long story," he replied, backing toward the door. "I'm sure she'll tell you about it when she gets back, but I gotta go give her this."

"Okay," I nodded. He gave Cherry a final pat, and I had to pull on her collar lightly so she couldn't run after him before he shut the door. Something told me that these "predicaments" she kept getting into were only going to get worse, and somehow involve me eventually.

* * *

_Melinda_

I swear there was someone watching me. There's always someone watching. I just couldn't find them. But I knelt there behind the bush, waiting, hoping no one would find me before Gonzo got back. I felt so expose, which I was obviously, and uncomfortable. I rarely felt uncomfortable. The last time I felt this bad was in 6th grade, when Janice Winkle puked on me when it was her turn to sing in the Christmas pageant. I swear they shouldn't have chosen her to play the lead angel. Not that I wanted it, but I just had to be the one who asked her what she was thinking about as her cue to start singing "White Christmas".

I could hear someone coming up the path, and I ducked as low as I could behind the bush, praying it was Gonzo. Turned out it wasn't, which was so typical for a situation like this. It turned out to be Vince in fact. _Oh, Goddess,_ I groaned silently. _Please, don't let him be the one to find me._ I could tell it was him because he had his hood down, and it would be easy to point him out because of the 5 of us in those ugly robes, he was the tallest. My stomach flopped when he started walking in my direction. _What do I do?, _I panicked. _He's gonna see me. Well maybe if I stay quiet, he'll go right on by without noticing me? But what if he does? I should shout at him not to come any closer. But then if he's a perv he'll come over regardless._

He was too close for comfort now, and I just had to pray he wasn't a perv.

"Stop where you are!" I shouted, ducking a little farther down in the bush. He stopped where he was, but didn't look all that surprised by my voice. "Don't come any closer!"

"Why not?" he asked, which was a surprise to me.

" Because...," _I'm a la nude?, _I thought, mentally smacking myself. "Just don't come any closer." Against my request, he actually took a couple more steps forward.

"I'm naked alright!" I scream,poking my head up and glaring at him. "You perv, go away already."

"And how did you end up that way?" he asked, no expression in his face.

"None of the ways you're thinking of," I spat, my arms covering my chest just in case he could see through the bush.

"I'm thinking you took off the cloak when they told you not to," he replied.

"This question is for $100,000, is that your final answer?" I asked, and immediately regretted it when he didn't so much as chuckle, snort or crack a bit of a smile. "I didn't take it off. I was sucked out of it."

"How?" he asked, taking another step forward.

"Stop moving forward you creep," I shouted. "I don't know. I touched that pillar and I was sucked up into it. Then it collapsed." He looked toward the pillar, and I used the opportunity to shuffle farther down the bush, increasing the distance between us a bit.

"The teachers will be coming to investigate," he said, not looking back at me, so I shuffled some more.

"Well, I have no shame in knocking down a pillar," I shrugged. "Plus Cross Lady's already seen me naked." _Ewwww,_ I thought.

"If they see you out you'll be in trouble," he stated, slipping his arms out of robe.

"Whoa, and you think you being naked is any better?" I gasped, turning my head away. I heard the rustle of fabric, and then my world went dark. "Hey!" I yanked the robe off of my head to glare at him again, but they softened at his sight. He had pants on, thank goodness, but his back to me, and it was completely covered with intricate amethyst designs. They shined in the sunlight, and extended over his shoulders and down his arms.

"You have it on yet?" he asked. I blinked out of my trance, and fumbled with the garment. It took me longer than it should have to find the bottom, and longer than that to get my self situated inside.

"Okay," I announced, standing up in the oversized pillowcase. He didn't say anything, or even look back at me. He just started walking toward the teacher's building. _Back to normal I see,_ I thought following. I couldn't help but find it weird how he came strutting along in my direction. He must have known something. Perhaps Gonzo met him along the way and he told him about me in the bush? Then why didn't he just come back with him and then I use his cloak? Creepy. I also thought back to the Circle and how he stared at me almost the entire time. Well, it may have been longer, but I didn't notice him staring until I was staring back. What was with this guy? Along the walk, I noticed a smell. It was an intoxicating kind of smell. When I brought my hand up to scratch my nose, I realized that the smell was coming from the robe. _He smells good,_ I thought, sighing.

"Lin," Gonzo called, running toward us with a blanket at hand.

"My hero," I grinned, opening my arms for a hug.

"Oh, I see you've already been rescued," he said, looking surprised. Vince didn't stop to chat. He just kept on walking by Gonzo and to the teacher's building.

"Yeah, still don't know how he knew I was there," I shrugged. "But thanks, I really appreciate it." I gave him a big hug regardless. "Now let's get out of this sun before I melt."

"It didn't seem to be bothering you just a little while ago," he pointed out, walking beside her.

"Well, I've been out in it for hours now," I huffed. "I need some sleep."

"I thought you weren't tired either," he smirked, sounding amused.

"Well it's catching up on me okay?" I groaned, taking the blanket from me. "Thanks again."

"No problem," he smiled, patting my head. "Sweet dreams."

"What no goodnight kiss?" I teased, thinking of him kissing Tonya and nearly gagging again. Unexpectedly, he brushed my hair from my face and kiss me cheek lightly.

" Good night Lin," he smiled, walking away. I felt my face, and it was burning hot. _So what? _I thought, he's kissed me on the cheek before. But there was something about it this time that was different. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the building.

* * *

_Melinda_

I slept for a long time, I could feel it. It felt great actually to get a long awaited rest. To my dismay, I woke up with the sun setting behind the buildings.

"Did I sleep all day?" I groaned, rubbing my eyes.

"Yeah, you did," Amethyst replied, "but so did I."

"You just wake up?" I asked, rolling over.

"About an hour ago," she nodded, sitting up, and dressed. "I went downstairs and the High Priestess was up with professor Volante and Rhinestone. They said that when you woke up they wanted to talk to us about how we were going to proceed with our schooling."

"Did they even cancel classes?" I yawned, stretching. Faith mewed, and jumped up onto my lap, and Cherry nudged my legs, wagging her tail.

"Yeah, they cancelled them yesterday," Amethyst nodded, looking glum. "They are however continuing them today. They had a ceremony for those who died yesterday as well."

"Wow, they move fast don't they," I sighed, sitting up. My stomach growled in response. "Ugh, where's the food?"

"There's some downstairs," Amethyst answered, getting up. "The others are already down there."

"Why aren't you wearing your robe?" I asked, getting up as well.

"Because so long as we remain in this building we should be okay," she shrugged. "There's some clothes for you right there." She motioned to the pile of simple clothing on the table. "I'll step out so you can change."

"I don't mind you being in-"

"I know," she interrupted. Not rudely, but I didn't expect it from her. "But, I don't want to be in here when you change. I'll be downstairs."

"Okay," I replied, blinking in surprise as she left the room. The clothes were a black sweater with my year's symbol on it, and a pair of jeans. I assumed we were meeting in the room we had a couple nights ago, so I headed there first. Thankfully, that's where everyone was. The other Elements were dressed the same as me, and held empty plates. Cross Lady was talking with Rhinestone, Gaia, and two other ladies I remembered from the Circle.

"About time you woke up," Tonya snapped, giving me the evil eye. I gave her a glare of my own, and was going to top it off with the finger, but Cross Lady cleared her throat with authority.

"Now that you are all here, I can explain how your days here will proceed from now on," she began. As she spoke, I grabbed a plate, and literally grabbed handfulls of anything my hand touched and piled it on my plate. "Your schedules have not been altered at all, so there is no need to worry about that, but there will be an addition to your schedule. Before your daily classes, you will have a one-on-one lesson."

I didn't really listen to her. My eyes were wandering and looking at the others. Destiny still looked like an emotional wreck. Her hair was held up lazily by a big clamp, and looked like it need brushing. Her face was makeup free, and her eyes looked swollen and red. Tonya looked like she wasn't phased by what was happening. I could still see the fear in her eyes clear as day back in the dorm when she couldn't control herself. I wondered how fixing that was. We sure did cause a lot of damage to the school. My eyes some how moved to her shirt, and blinked at the symbol on her shirt. It was of three women and scissors. _I wonder what year that is._ Guitar Guy looked the same as always. Blank face, hair covering one eye, looking totally badass. Hey, I called it like I see it. Didn't notice before, but he did carry a kind of air along the lines of "Don't care how you see me, I'm awesome either way", but not in a cocky way. If it was possible to think you're awesome and not be cocky.

"Melinda Bree," Cross Lady's voice echoed, catching my full attention.

"Yes ma'am," I replied, adding a salute(an army one, not that ridiculous fist chest thing)

"Your lessons will be with Professor Onyx," she motioned to the very petite woman standing next to her. When I say she was petite, I mean extremely tiny. She looked very fragile, and dainty, as if she could be broken by a stone thrown by a kid. Not to mention she was a foot shorter than everyone in the room. She had very long red hair that rolled from her scalp. Her tiny eyes were framed by lightning band rock tattoos. A weird combination, but very dynamic.

"What lessons?" I asked, popping a mini strawberry in my mouth. I know it was a question I shouldn't have asked since even thought I wasn't paying attention, I still heard everything she said. Cross Lady gave me a look, but didn't answer my question. The lessons were to help us learn about our powers, and their origins, blah, blah, blah, and how to control them so that we could kick some arse.

"What about the dorms?" Destiny asked in a light, hesitant voice.

"They are practically rebuilt," Cross Lady replied with a small smile. "By tomorrow, they'll be back to normal, and you can move back in."

"But what about personal belongings that were...lost in the fire?" I asked, glancing out of the corner of my eye at Queen Bee, who mouthed something really mean.

"We unfortunately can't replace personal things that were lost," Rhinestone said, looking sullen. "But we can help with making your rooms more home-like again if they were damaged." _Boy, they move fast,_ I thought.

"Also, I've been thinking of something as well," Cross Lady said, smiling pleasantly. "Since you are all students, and you each are an element, I can see you creating one powerful Circle." I choked on a grape the same time nearly spat out some water.

"What?" We both shouted once we could function properly.

"I was thinking of the Dark Daughters actually," Cross Lady continued, not minding our reactions. "I think it would be a great opportunity to see what you can accomplish together, and to train out new High Priest."

"But _I'm_ the High Priestess in training!" Tonya shouted incredulously, jumping to her feet. "You can't just start training someone else!"

"Watch your tone," snapped the mini-redhead. I was surprised by the volume of her voice and how earth shaking it was.

"Nyx has chosen another to be trained," Cross Lady answered, keeping her calm expression. "I'm sorry Tonya, but your training ends here."

"But you said High Priest," Amethyst spoke up for the first time. "Not Priestess."

"Correct," she smirked. "Vince will be our first ever High Priest." The room was heavy with silence, and the four of us turned slowly to look back at him. His one eye was looking intently outside, and he said nothing.

"Why HIM?" Tonya demanded, looking completely outraged. I couldn't help but be amused by her distress and wished I had popcorn.

"Nyx has Chosen him," Gaia replied, looking amazed by the situation. "That's reason enough. There's no questioning our Goddess. She made him Spirit, and so he will lead the Circle, and be trained as a High Priest."

"Okay, my turn to freak," I spoke up, jumping up to my feet, and lightly placing my half empty plate on my chair. "Do we _have_ to do this Circle thing. Like I mean, I'm not all that interested in evoking stuff. And join that cult? I don't think so."

"The Dark Daughters is not a cult." Not gonna lie, Cross Lady looked like she was losing her patience. Didn't know I could get her even close to her edge. "It'll do you some good to get involved in school."

"Sign me up for the chess club then," I mumbled, sitting back down and stuffing my face.

"I'm guessing that doesn't start today," Amethyst said, looking a bit anxious.

"Actually, it does," Cross Lady smiled brightly. "We have a couple hours until classes start, and so we have time for your first lessons with your new powers."

"Great," I groaned, about to shove something else in my mouth when Mini was suddenly in front of me, and plucking the food from me.

"Gluttony is a deadly sin Miss Bree," she said brightly. I swear it was the complete opposite of how she sounded when she last spoke. "I say you've had your fill. Now if you please, follow me." I blinked over at Amethyst, who only shrugged. "Come, come." Mini was tugging my like a little kid wanting their parent to let them ride the big scary coaster.

"Okay, okay," I replied, letting her pull me away from the others.

"We're going to have so much fun," she beamed, her face radiating.

"I'm sure we will," I mumbled, making a face.


	12. CHAPTER TWELVE

AN: Back in business! I've been forcing myself to write lately, and with this exception, every Monday I'll be updating one or two of my stories, so if you're a reader of more than one of my stories, keep an eye out!

I'll admit this isn't my best chapter, but better ones are to come!

CHAPTER TWELVE

_Melinda_

Before I knew it, I was stuffed into another gigantic cloak and Mini was dragging me outside. I honestly didn't know what to make of her. One moment she was sweet and innocent, the next she was a tough mama bear wanting to tear your throat out through your butt. I had to say, the latter part was pretty badass, but scary at the same time. She dragged me to the spot where the tower I touched had once stood but now was a pile of rubble.

"You can take off the robe now Miss Bree," she instructed, letting me go and hopping up the pile of rocks. Literally hopped, with both legs plastered together. _She must have some great leg strength, _I thought, struggling to slide off the the robe.

"Aren't I putting myself at risk of falling apart?" I asked, combing out my hair with my fingers when I finally got it off.

"Yes, and you most definitely will," she said pleasantly, smiling down at me. I raised my eyebrow questioningly at her.

"Is that supposed to be Lesson number 1?" I asked. "Keeping myself together?"

"You tell me," Mini said, kicking a little stone off of the pile. "Tell me, how'd this tower fall?"

"Um, well I just touched it...," I began, but didn't get a chance to finish because the little Witch kicked a rock at me. Not a big one, but not a small one either. It was about the size of baseball, but it hurt like a mother effer! I doubled over with a coughed scream. I fell to my knees in shock and stared up at her.

"The hell you crazy b-Witch!" I tried my best not to share my extensive vocabulary at times like these, but this freaky leech was pushing it!

"You didn't answer the question," she replied, not phased by what she did. She stood with her hands behind her back and a playful smile on her face. "How did the tower fall?"

"I tried telling you," I grunted, slowly getting up. "I touched it-" I was and wasn't surprised when she kicked another one my way. I tried diving away, but it hit my arm, scraping my skin.

"For the love of god what is wrong with you?" I demanded, feeling the sting. The scratch quickly healed however, by the means of the water lacing over it.

"Answer the question," she snapped, but her face remained soft.

"I did!" I screamed at her. "You're crazy! Request a new teacher! Shouldn't Volante be teach me anyways since he's my mentor?" I turned to leave, and was hit in the back by another rock, causing me to fall forward. I know it's cliche, but I really almost ate the dirt. I managed to keep my face from smacking off the ground, but that didn't make me feel happier.

"I was chosen to teach you because I represent Water in the Circle the High Priestess makes," she replied, grinning down at me.

"I don't care what you represent," I gasped, grasping the ground with my hands, my anger rising to an unhealthy level. "You hit me with a rock one more time," I looked over my shoulder, with a threat blazing in my glare, "I dare you." She continued to stand on the pile of earth, her hands folded behind her back, and hair flowing in the wind.

"How did the tower fall?" Mini repeated, her head tilted in curiosity. _The hell is wrong with this chick?_, I demanded silently, disappointed she didn't take my challenge.

"I'm trying to explain, but you-" I was cut off again as I rolled out of the way of another rock. "What do you want from me?" I screamed as I got back to my feet, crouching defensively.

"An answer please," she smiled.

"You won't give me a chance!" I shouted, my fists clenched tightly, as she kicked another rock. _That's it,_ I thought, running at her. The rock hit my shoulder, but I, no pun intended, shrugged it off, and jumped up the rock pile, throwing myself at her, except she wasn't there. I mean she was, but once I took to the air she was gone. I cursed to myself as I landed on giant rocks, and tumbled down the other side of the pile. I'll admit, I did lay sprawled out on the ground, in pain, allowing my scratches and bruises heal, but I was not broken. I was not gonna allow this soulless, half-pint of a teacher break me. If Mr. Drulans couldn't break me in long-distance running, this chick had no chance of breaking me. I tried to get up, but a foot was placed on my chest, a strong one at that, keeping me in place.

"What the-?" I looked up, and sure enough it was Mini. _How the hell is she so strong?_, I thought.

"You have an answer yet?" she asked, smiling down at me.

"No hint?" I asked, glaring up at her. She looked up, at the sky, putting a finger on her chin, contemplating my request. I took the chance to try and hit her. I grabbed her ankle with my hands, and swung my legs up to kick her in the hip. She flinched, which gave me a kick of accomplishment, but then she balanced herself on the one foot that was on my chest, making it harder for me to breath. She was a lot heavier than she looked.

"Don't go into a bit explanation," she finally replied, after what seemed like 10 minutes. "Just get to the point. You are a person I expected to just get to the point. Explanations are boring. Just get to the punchline." She jumped off my chest, causing me to cough and gasp for air. She skipped up to the top of the pile again, and readied a rock that was bigger than the others. I rolled over, not really understanding what she wanted me to say. It was a riddle, and I didn't like riddles. All that happened was that I touched it, it sucked me in and I seemed to touch the whole thing, then it pushed me out and collapsed. Where was there a punchline?

"Well?" Mini asked, pulling back her right leg. I hesitated, still trying to think of an answer, when she launched the hue thing at me. I jumped out of the way and it hit my ankle, and I felt something crunch, followed by pain shooting up my leg.

"My god!" I screamed, laying it down on the ground awkwardly. "What is _wrong_ with you, you crazy bitch!" Yeah, I'm sorry, I was losing my cool. Didn't care if I got detention right now, it'd be better than being pelted by boulders.

"How did the tower fall?" she asked again. "Since I gave you a hint, the incentive is stronger." She readied another big rock. I was ready to break. I'll admit I was. I was ready to run as fast as I could away from her, and if that didn't work, I might have started crying, but that most definitely was a last resort. Melinda Bree didn't cry for just anything. Only deaths really. Or if I laughed too hard. So I quickly thought over what happened again. It fell ultimately because I touched it. But I said that earlier and she didn't accept it, and I didn't just touch it, but spread through it and the fell out again.

"Well?" Mini pulled back her foot again, ready to send it my way, and I was still on the ground.

"Me!" I shouted, panicked, crossing my arms in front of my face. "It fell because of me!" Nothing happened. I moved me arms and saw her watching me curiously.

"Explain," she replied, sitting down. I blinked in confusion.

"B-but you just told me not to explain," I cried, wanting to pull my hair out.

"When asked a question, you don't explain your answer before you give your answer," she explained, playing with her hair. "The order for proper question answering, is you are asked a question, you answer the question, and then if you are asked to explain, you do so, if not, you don't say anymore." I stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Really?" I snapped, crossing my arms. "This whole time your teaching me proper etiquette in speech?" My voice rose to another octave as I spoke. I couldn't believe this.

"I guess you can label it as that," she nodded.

"But _why?_" I growled, crossing my legs. My ankle was now healed, not to my surprise. My healing speed was good, but it didn't stop the pain. "My speech is just fine."

"When you speak to those higher up than you, you must show some respect," Mini's face went hard with seriousness. "That is lesson Number 1 Melinda Bree. Respect and proper etiquette. You may think it's fine where you come from, and it probably is, but here, and with your new responsibilities, you need to clean up your act. Evangeline chose me as your tutor because I wont take any of your, as you would say, bullshit. As you have already witnessed, I can cause you a lot of harm, and I'll let you know, I too am stubborn, very much, and there is nothing you can get away with when you're with me." Again, I stared at her unsure of what to say. Why was she unloading all this crap on me? Sure I could act smart, but it didn't mean I didn't have any respect. Trying to explain that would just be useless with a woman like this, so I just nodded.

"Good," she smiled, rubbing her hands together. "I'd say that's enough for today. You can go on to class now."

"Um, should I wear my cloak?" I asked, wanting to get away as fast as I could from her.

"Yes, definitely." Mini was picking up my cloak and throwing it at me before I had a chance to realize what she was doing.

"What's so special about these anyways?" I asked, putting it on.

"Nothing," she shrugged, walking away. "It's all psychological. We make you think they keep you together, and so they do. You keep yourself together no different whether you wear it or not." _Then why will I even bother?, _I thought, deciding to ditch it.

* * *

_Melinda_

Walking to class was a bit...awkward. Students were still in shock from what had happened a couple days ago, and a lot of them remained quiet. What made it worse was that I felt like a freak on display. Everyone stared at me. They silently watched me as I walked by, then whispered quietly behind my back, or they just murmured while I was right there near them. Gotta say, Vamps got balls. I even heard a couple comments, like "She's one of them. She trashed the school", or "What makes her so special" or, "You think she contracted a disease?". I of course, kept my mouth shut and marched to English. I knew yelling at them wasn't going to help, so I just imagined they were envying my beautiful tattoos. Which some of them did, making me feel good.

During the meditation in first period, I fell asleep, and wasn't awoken, surprisingly, until the class had ended. I bet Rhinestone just cut me a break for everything I'd been through, but also wanted to teach me a lesson by not waking me up when class was over. I was actually woken up by a familiar-looking blonde.

"Hello," she greeted with a big smile. It was the ditsy blonde I met yesterday. Her name escaped me, but I knew it was one of Shakespeare's chick.

"Hi," I greeted, stretching my arms into the air. I looked around and saw my classmates were replaced with new ones. Quite a few were glancing at me, and talking in hushed voices. It took me a second, but I then realized my classed had left, leaving me to be awoken by a student in the next one.

"I'm sorry to wake you," the girl, who I now dubbed as Juliet because I still couldn't remember, said apologetically. "You looked so peaceful sleeping. This is actually my spot. I would sit somewhere else to let you continue your walk in Dreamland, but all the seats are taken."

"It's cool," I sighed, scratching my head as I stood. "I need to get to my next class anyways."

"Oh yeah," Juliet blinked in surprise. "You better hurry. There's only a minute left."

"I'm in no hurry," I shrugged, but inched my way to the door nonetheless. "See ya."

"Bye-bye," she waved with a huge smile before sitting down. I made my way down the halls, which were already empty. The Vamps sure were punctual. I really didn't care if I made it to French. I missed the last class, and I really didn't know where the classroom was. All I knew was it was on the second floor, and was definitely not gonna fall again. I kept a cautious eye out for that clumsy red-head as I climbed the stairs. Didn't see her, or Guitar Guy. Good.

"Melinda!" Amethyst was standing in the hallway, barely recognizable with that gigantic cloak draped over her. "Come on, come on, class is gonna start, and why aren't you wearing your cloak? You could fall apart."

"I'm too good for it," I lied, partially, as I approached her. Didn't want to go through the trouble of explaining to her that it was all psychological and the possibility of her falling apart in the middle of class. Why did they even call it falling apart? I mean, sure we would lose our physical form, but we wouldn't necessarily fall apart.

"Come _on," _she urged, pushing me into the classroom. The students all stopped and stared, as predicted, but more at Amethyst than me. She was overcautious with it, covering most of her face, and nearly tripped on her own feet. At the front of the class stood a dark-skinned man, with no hair on his head.

"Salut, Melinda Bree," he greeted in a thick accent, with a half smile. It was a mix of annoyance and amusement.

"I'm not the greatest with French," I said, sitting down next to Amethyst, "but isn't 'salut' an informal way of greeting people?"

"Ah, so you are educated," he smirked, turning to the chalk board. _Did my reputation really proceed me that much?_ I thought, frowning. _Like come on, I absorb information. I'm not completely stupid._

"Sure I am the teacher," he shrugged, scribbling down something in French, "but I am not one for a ton of formality. I want to make this environment as fun and relaxed as I can, so I don't worry about formality."

"Sweet," I whispered over to Amethyst, who only smiled.

"You may call me Jules," he said, now turning to face the class, "and now we shall start with conjugating a verb."

"Man," I groaned, slipping down in my seat. _Fun and relaxed my arse._ I was surprised that he was France French, and not Quebecois French. Oh yes, there is a difference. Main one being France French sounded more beautiful. I didn't sleep, but I zoned out listening to him talk about a book they had begun reading, and even read a couple chapters of it. Amethyst poked me a couple times to get me to pay attention, but it didn't help. I honestly had no clue why I was so darn tired. I managed to get a good night sleep, and sure I was abused earlier (which I had to talk to Cross Lady about later), but I was usually never this tired.

Class was over before I knew it, which didn't really help wake me up, but Amethyst pinching the life out of me help.

"Ow!" I snapped, rubbing my arm.

"We have fencing next," she said, fixing her hood.

"Good luck sword playing in that thing," I said, giving her a look.

"But I can't take it off," she said, leading the way out of the room. I just rolled my eyes at her.

"So what did your instructor teach you this morning?" I asked, looking at the designs on my hand.

"We just meditated," she smiled, trying not to lose her grip on her books as we made our way down the hall. "Rhinestone is my instructor."

"Lucky bugger," I huffed, crossing my arms. "I'm stuck with Lady Psycho. She _pelted_ me with rocks! Like abused me!"

"No way." I couldn't see her face, but I could tell be the sound of her voice she wasn't convinced.

"Yeah, she through baseballs of rock at me because I was answering her question wrong," I shouted, throwing my arms out incredulously, almost hitting another student. "She's all 'you have to speak properly, blah, blah, blah. You must get straight to the point when asked a question, then explain after if asked.' What kind of bullshit is that?"

"Well...she is right that there is an etiquette to speech," Amethyst nodded, "but that's only with royals. I mean, why would she ever think you would meet a royal?"

"What is this?" I cried, throwing my arms again. "Pick-on-Melinda Day? I swear."

"I-I'm sorry...," she sounded very apologetic. "Well, perhaps since we are these...incarnates of the elements, perhaps we will meet some pretty important people. I guess she's thinking ahead." We were outside now, and I was enjoying the cool breeze. I had to admit the breeze was nicer at night. It could be because I was a child of the night now, but a lot of things felt better at night. It wasn't really a fair comparison since everything during the day was horrible because of the sun, but it's what I was gonna stick to.

"Hey, Melinda." Raphael was walking along the sidewalk in the opposite direction we were headed. His eyes were curious and surprised, and I knew he had a lot of questions.

"Hey," Amethyst smiled, lifting her hood slightly.

"Oh, hey Amethyst-Chan," he smiled in return, looking even more curious. "Um, why are you wearing that?"

"To hide her new tats," I answered, grabbing her arm and rolling up the sleeve to show him.

"H-hey!" she freaked pulling back he arm.

"So it is true," he gasped in between us. "You guys...you guys are the elements!"

"Incarnates actually," I corrected, trying to sound smart.

"Which means we _are_ them," Amethyst corrected me. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Does this mean you guys are full Vampyres?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Don't know," I shrugged, "but I'm not liking it. Tell me, what have people been saying."

"Um, well," he hesitated, "they are just spooked by what happened. It's still a lot to take in...You guys know why it happened? I mean...there's quite a few theories flying around, and a lot of them aren't too good."

"We shouldn't say...," Amethyst hesitated. "I mean, we don't really know ourselves."

"We're basically Supersoldiers created to protect the Vampyre race," I replied dramatically. "What we're fighting has been said."

"People can here you," Amethyst gasped, looking around at the people who slowed down to listen.

"I don't care," I sighed. "Really. All I wanna do is go home and lay on the couch, eating double fat ice cream and judge at the people who audition for American Idol with Gonzo." _I need to hang out with him soon,_ I thought._ I really miss him._

"So you guys are like, superheroes?" Raphael asked.

"I'd actually be an anti-hero," I said thoughtfully, tilting my head as I envisioned it. "Anti-heroes have more fun and have more depth to their character. Like V."

"We actually should get going now," Amethyst said, grabbing my arm. "See you at lunch Raphael?"

"Y-yes!" he stammered, smiling brightly.

"Aw come on," I huffed, following her. '"I could be called Tempest! Or Tide! You'd be something like Twister! Or how about Gust? Or Whirlgirl!"


End file.
